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Company K 


First Alabama Regiment, 


THREE YEARS IN THE CONFEDERATE SERVICE 


BY 

DANIEL P. SMITH. 

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‘iUu/t £i/~ U-vuttiint// yiitrtUftouy 

PRATTVILLE, ALA. 

PUBLISHED BY THE SURVIVORS. 



1885. 



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Burk & McFetridge, 
Printers, 

306-308 Chestnut St. 
Phila. 


ISX 









INTRODUCTORY. 


The First Alabama Regiment of Infantry was organized 
under the Act of the Legislature authorizing the enlistment 
of troops for twelve months. Three companies were raised 
in Barbour county by Capts. Alpheus Baker, John Clark and 
Jere. Williams; two in Pike, by Capts. Augustus Owen and 
Dawson ; one in Wilcox, by Capt. I. G. W. Steadman ; one 
in Tallapoosa, by Capt. J. D. Meadows; one in Talladega, 
by Capt. L. F. Johnson ; one in Lowndes, by Capt. J. D. 
Conyers; and one in Mobile, by Capt. Ben. Lane Posey. 
The companies were ordered to rendezvous at Pensacola, for 
the purpose of relieving the independent companies at that 
time occupying the captured forts, Barrancas and McRae, and 
the navy yard. About February io, 1861, the first companies 
arrived at Pensacola, and the others rapidly followed. It was 
not until April that the regimental organization was completed, 
by the election and appointment of the following officers: 
Colonel, Henry D. Clayton; Lieutenant-colonel, I. G. W. 
Steadman ; Major, Jere. Williams; Quartermaster, Capt. L. 
F. Johnson; Commissary, Capt. Henry Shorter; Adjutant, 
S. H. Dent; Surgeon, J. D. Caldwell, M. D. ; Assistant-sur¬ 
geon, Walter Curry, M. D. 

Soon after its organization, by Act of the State Legislature, 
but with its own consent, the regiment was mustered into the 
service of the Confederate States, and was assigned to duty in 
Fort Barrancas and the heavy batteries along the shore of the 
bay. Many of these batteries were thrown up by the men of 
the First Alabama, who, thus early in the war, were accus¬ 
tomed to the use of entrenching tools. Military instruction 
was not neglected; and, while industriously wielding pick 
and shovel, the men were thoroughly drilled, both as heavy 
artillery and infantry. 


4 


INTRODUCTORY. 


A portion of the regiment was engaged in the fight on Santa 
Rosa Island, and the whole regiment served in the batteries 
during the bombardments of the 23d of November, 1861, and 
the 1st of January, 1862. For its gallantry on these occasions 
it received complimentary mention in Gen. Bragg’s orders. 

At the close of twelve months’ service, the regiment was 
called upon to re-enlist for the war, and seven companies 
promptly responded. Capts. Baker’s, Clark’s and Posey’s 
companies were mustered out, and were replaced by Capt. 
Knowles’ company, from Macon county; Capt. William 
Pruitt’s, from Barbour; and Capt. J. F. Whitfield’s, from 
Autauga. The regiment was reorganized by the election of 
the following officers; Colonel, I. G. W. Steadman; Lieu¬ 
tenant-colonel, M. B. Locke; Major, S. L. Knox; Adjutant, 
S. D. Steadman; Quartermaster, Capt. Duncan Carmichael; 
Surgeon, Dr. Schackelford (afterwards succeeded by Dr. 

* Hamilton). The companies were commanded respectively as 
follows: Co. A, Capt. J. D. Meadows ; Co. B, Capt. Ram¬ 
sey; Co. C, Capt. Stubbs; Co. D, Capt. R. H. Isbell; Co. 
E, Capt. Woods; Co. F, Capt. Williams; Co. G, Capt. 
Riley; Co. H, Capt. Knowles; Co. I, Capt. William Pruitt; 
Co. K, Capt. John F. Whitfield. 

In the following pages will be found a sketch of the servicts 
of Co. K, of Autauga county. Although the author makes no 
higher pretence than to be a company historian, yet he has 
embodied in the story all the facts connected with the history 
of the other companies, and of the regiment as a whole, that 
were in his possession. From the day that Co. K joined the 
regiment, in March, 1862, until the surrender of Gen. Joseph 
E. Johnston, it shared in all the toils, privations and dangers 
of the gallant “ First,” and its history is indissolubly blended 
with it. Therefore, with the kindest feelings, the writer dedi¬ 
cates this little work, not only to the members of Co. K, but 
to all his comrades in the 

First Alabama. 


CHAPTER I. 


ORGANIZATION OF THE JOHN GILL SHORTER ARTILLERY- 

CHANGE OF DESTINATION-AT ISLAND 10-ROLL OF 

COMPANY K-MYSTERIES OF THE CUISINE—A SHAME¬ 

FUL WASTE. 

In February, 1862, John F. Whitfield, Esq., obtained 
the authority to recruit one of the three companies neces¬ 
sary to complete the reorganization of the First Alabama 
Regiment, C. S. A., serving at that time as heavy artillery 
at Pensacola, Fla. Meeting with Merrill E. Pratt, Esq., 
of Prattville, he proposed to that gentleman to raise one- 
half the company, he himself expecting to bring thirty 
or forty men into the field. Mr. Pratt was thinking, at 
this time, of joining another regiment with a small squad 
of men, who desired to be with him in the army, but, 
seeing now a wider field for usefulness, he accepted the 
proposal. In a few days, through his personal influence 
and popularity, he enrolled the names of nearly fifty volun¬ 
teers, including some of the best men in Autauga county, 
and, had he not been restricted by the terms of his agree¬ 
ment with Capt. Whitfield, he could, without difficulty, 
have recruited a full company. On the 7th of March, 
Lieut. Pratt and his men proceeded to Montgomery, and, 
on the following day, were mustered into the service of 
the Confederacy, styling themselves, in honor of the Gov¬ 
ernor of the State, the “John Gill Shorter Artillery.” 
John F. Whitfield was elected Captain; M. E. Pratt, 
First Lieutenant; Dixon S. Hall, Second Lieutenant, Jr.; 


6 


HISTOR Y OF CO. K, 


and Charles E. Tuttle, Orderly Sergeant. The second lieu¬ 
tenancy was left vacant, to be filled by the squad of men 
Capt. Whitfield still expected to secure. For the failure 
of these men to report, Capt. Whitfield was in no man¬ 
ner responsible, he acting throughout in good faith. No 
officer had more the confidence and affection of his men 
than Capt. Whitfield, and this esteem he retained from 
first to last. 

While in Montgomery, enameled cloth knapsacks and 
haversacks, and cedar canteens, were issued to the men, 
but they provided their own uniforms, no two of which 
were alike. 

When enrolled the men expected to go to Pensacola, 
but upon arriving in Montgomery, it was learned that the 
regiment had left that place for New Madrid, Mo., a for¬ 
tified post on the Mississippi River. As this change in 
destination, from a warm to a cold climate, and from gar¬ 
rison to field duty, necessitated a change in clothing, 
leave of absence for two days was given the members 
of the company to return home and make needed prepa¬ 
rations. There was a general cutting down in the amount 
of impedimenta , though most of the men loaded them¬ 
selves with twice the amount that could be carried on a 
march. 

On the morning of March ioth, the company reassem¬ 
bled in Montgomery, and, under the command of Lieut. 
Hall, started for Memphis. Monday night they camped 
at Atlanta, not being able to proceed farther on account 
of the crowded trains. It was not till Wednesday noon 
that the company reached Memphis. The regiment was 
just leaving the city by the boat, and could not wait for 
the company to join ; Lieut. Hall, however, reported, and 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


7 


received orders to proceed by the steamer “ Republic,” 
which left the next day at 5 p. m. Thursday night the 
boat reached Fort Pillow, where it was learned that New 
Madrid had been evacuated, and that the First Alabama 
had been ordered to Island No. 10. Friday evening the 
“ Republic ” arrived at Tiptonville, and the men disem¬ 
barked ; but, the boat being detained, they slept on board 
that night. Saturday they again landed, and marched 
across from Tiptonville to Island No. 10, a distance of 
six miles. The regiment was found encamped without 
tents in a newly-cleared field, and the company, thus 
early in its service, began roughing it. It was not till 
the 18th that they received any tents; they then were 
moved into a wood, some three-quarters of a mile from 
the river. On the 25th the camp was again moved, and 
tents pitched in regulation order in an open field in the 
rear of Batteries Nos. 5 and 6; a camp guard was de¬ 
tailed, and the military routine of guard-mounting, drill 
and dress-parade began. 

Capt. Whitfield and Lieut. Pratt arrived on the 18th, 
receiving a hearty welcome. There now being no hope 
of the other squad reporting, it was decided that Lieut. 
Pratt should return home and recruit the company to its 
full strength. 

Lieut. Dixon S. Hall was promoted to the second 
lieutenancy, and Orderly Sergt. C. E. Tuttle, who 
had ably performed his duties and looked after the 
comfort of the men, was made junior second lieutenant. 
The following is the roll of the company, as it stood at 
that time:— 

Captain , John F. Whitfield. 

First Lieutenant , Merrill E. Pratt. 


8 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


Second Lieutenant, Dixon S. Hall. 

Second Lieutenant, Jr., Charles E. Tuttle. 
Orderly Sergeant, Norman Cameron. 
Second Sergeant, A. J. Thompson. 

Third Sergeant, J. C. Rodgers. 

Fourth Sergeant, A. J. Merritt. 

Fifth Sergeant, E. T. Sears. 

First Corporal, John Williamson. 

Second Corporal, W. L. Ellis. 

Third Corporal, J. M. Royals. 

Fourth Corporal, W. H. Hutchinson. 


N. K. Adams, 

O. M. Blaylock, 
A. P. Brown, 

E. F. Brown, 

W. A. Dennis, 
W. Farmer, 

Wm. H. Fay, 
John Griffin, 
Elijah Hearn, 

J. C. Hearn, 

J. G. Holston, 

J. W. Killough, 
C. J. Moncrief, 
Daniel P. Smith, 
Mac. A. Smith, 
J. L. Robinson, 
G. H. Royals, 

T. J. Roe' 


E. L. Averheart, 
G. R. Bledsoe, 

C. W. Brown, 

J. W. Cook, 

J. H. Durden, 
John Frank, Jr., 

J. A. Fergerson. 
M. M. Hancock, 
G. W. Hearn, 

J. W. Hearndon, 
Joseph Hurd, 

J. M. May, 

W. L. Moncrief, 
J. F. Smith, 
Junius Robinson, 


C. H. Royals, 
J. D. Rice, 

J. G. Tarleton, 


Privates. 


J. S. Tunnell, Joseph Tunnell, 

Fletcher Wilkins. 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


9 

Total, 4 commissioned officers, 9 non-commissioned 
officers and 39 privates. 

W. H. Hutchinson was soon after detailed as a mem¬ 
ber of the drum corps, and O. M. Blaylock was appointed 
corporal in his stead. Joseph Hurd was detailed at the 
same time as fifer. All the above were present for duty, 
except Private Griffin, who received a furlough when he 
enlisted, and reported to Capt. Isbell after the surrender 
of the Island. Muskets were not issued to Co. K for 
two weeks after their arrival, but details for fatigue and 
guard duty were made after a few days. When Capt. 
Rucker’s company was relieved at Battery No. 1, on the 
third or fourth day of the siege, a detail of sixty men 
from the First Alabama was ordered there, with daily 
relief. Co. K furnished four or five men of this detail. 

The men were quickly initiated into the mysteries of 
the cuisine , and from the first day some were quite good 
cooks, while others made most amusing blunders. A 
camp-kettle, half full of rice, was a source of much worry 
to an amateur who attempted to boil it—there were not 
enough utensils in the company to hold South Carolina’s 
favorite dish as it swelled in the pot. Commissary stores 
were plentiful, and there was a shameful waste. Fresh 
beef was hauled off and buried by the wagon load; bar¬ 
rels of corned beef remained untouched in the camp; 
while rice, flour, molasses and sugar were issued in larger 
quantities than could possibly be eaten. These were the 
last days of the “ Flush times of the First Alabama.” 

On the 30th of March, Lieut. Pratt and Corp. Ellis 
left for Alabama to enlist recruits. About the same time 
Privates M. A. Smith and J. L. Robinson were honorably 
discharged on account of physical disability, and left for 
their homes. 


CHAPTER II. 


BOMBARDMENT AND CAPTURE OF ISLAND NO. IO-THE 

BATTERIES-AT RUCKER’S BATTERY-CANAL CUT¬ 
TING-A NIGHT ATTACK-RUNNING THE GAUNTLET 

-AN UNFINISHED MEAL-THE ATTEMPTED EVACUA¬ 
TION-RETREAT TO TIPTONVILLE-MACKALL’S ORDER 

-THE SURRENDER-ACROSS REEL-FOOT RIVER. 

Island No. 10 is, or was, in the Mississippi River, op¬ 
posite the boundary-line between Kentucky and Tennes¬ 
see. The river approaches the island in nearly a southerly 
direction, then runs to the northwest about twelve miles 
to New Madrid, where it makes a semi-circular sweep, and 
takes its course to the southeast for sixteen miles to Tip- 
tonville, Term., forming a great horseshoe bend of six 
miles in width, and opening to the southeast. Across 
this opening, a few miles to the eastward, is Reel-Foot 
River or bayou,emptying into the Mississippi below Tip- 
tonville; in high water expanding into a lake, and con¬ 
necting with the Mississippi above Island No. io, cutting 
off all approach except by boats. 

At the beginning of the bombardment, Gen. McCown 
was in command of the Confederate forces, augmented, 
by the evacuation of New Madrid, to some ten or twelve 
thousand men. More than half these troops were, 
however, withdrawn about the last of March. The 
batteries, which had been ably planned, but imperfectly 
constructed, under direction of Capt. Harris, of the En¬ 
gineer Corps, contained forty-four guns, mostly 32 and 
42 pound smooth-bores, with a few 64-pounders and one 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


ii 


or two ioo-pound rifles. Twenty-seven guns, not mounted, 
were scattered along the river bank and on the Island. 
The batteries were distributed as follows: On the Ten¬ 
nessee bank of the river were six—No. I (Rucker’s), six 
guns; No. 2, four guns; No. 3, three guns; No. 4, four 
guns ; No. 5, two guns; No. 6, seven guns ; total, twenty- 
seven. On the Island were four batteries—No. 1, six 
guns; No. 2, four guns; No. 3, five guns; No. 4, two 
guns ; total, seventeen. A floating battery—the old 
Algiers floating dock—was moored to the left bank of 
the Island; and on the deck of this nondescript craft, 
wholly unprotected, were eight guns. 

The enemy, upon the evacuation of New Madrid, es¬ 
tablished batteries there and soon after at Point Pleasant, 
opposite Tiptonville—thus cutting off approach to the 
island by river. Boats made a landing at Tiptonville 
and—when it became too warm there—at a point just 
below, and thus communication was kept up till the gun¬ 
boats ran the Island 10 batteries, a few days before the 
surrender. 

On the morning of March 15th the Federal fleet arrived 
from above, and opened fire upon the Confederate works. 
There were seven iron-clads: the “Benton,” “ Louisville,” 
“ Carondelet, “ Conestoga,” “ Pittsburgh,” “ St. Louis ” and 
“Mound City,” armed with ten heavy guns each, and eight 
mortar-boats, each carrying one thirteen-inch mortar. 
Their fire concentrated on Rucker’s and the Island bat¬ 
teries, was continued all day and slowly on Sunday, the 
16th. Monday morning the iron-clads, lashed three to¬ 
gether, dropped down the river, stern foremost, to within 
a mile and a half of Rucker’s Battery and anchored. 
They maintained a heavy fire all day, throwing, with the 




12 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


mortar fleet, 1,350 shot and shell, of which 1,000 were 
hurled at Capt. Rucker’s guns and 350 at the Island. 
There was no one hurt on the Island, though there were 
many narrow escapes. At Battery No. I, on the main 
land, a shot passed through the parapet, dismounting a 
gun, killing Lieut. Clark, of Capt. Rucker’s company, 
and wounding several men. These were the only casual¬ 
ties during the siege. 

Eicon Jones, of the Signal Corps, was stationed at 
Rucker’s Battery. During the day his signal-flag was 
twice shot from his hand. In one instance he was trans¬ 
mitting a message, and he picked up the flag and con¬ 
tinued his communication without missing a word. He 
was afterwards complimented in general orders by Gen. 
Beauregard and promoted. 

The Confederate artillery practice was very good; the 
iron-clads were repeatedly hit, and before night they 
hauled off, continuing their fire with their long-range 
rifles. One shot struck the “ Benton,” passed through her 
iron-clad side into the Captain’s cabin, bounded from the 
floor to the ceiling and landed on the table. The dis¬ 
mounted gun at Battery 1 was placed in position again 
that night, not having been seriously damaged. 

Tuesday the bombardment was resumed, but the fleet 
did not come within good range of the Confederate 
smooth-bores, and our fire was, in consequence, slack. 
Capt. Rucker’s company, exhausted by its severe labors, 
was relieved by the First Alabama. The river continu¬ 
ing to rise, the working of the guns in Battery No. 1 
was rendered difficult, if not impossible, by the water, 
which was two feet deep on the platforms. All the pow¬ 
der and shell had to be removed from the magazine, and, 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


13 


without other protection than a tarpaulin, stowed in an 
angle of the breastworks. On rainy days some of the 
guards would creep under the tarpaulin, propping it up 
with a handspike so as to get air; but this improvised 
tent would invariably attract the enemy’s attention, and a 
shell would go shrieking over, causing the hasty striking 
of the shelter. A deep slough connecting with Reel- 
Foot Bayou cut off all approach to this battery except 
in boats, and as the relief details had to be sent up after 
dark, a trip on stormy nights was attended with some 
risk. On one occasion a boat was carried by the swift 
current into the swamp and capsized; the crew were not 
rescued till daylight—passing the night, cold and wet, on 
stumps or driftwood. 

In the meantime the enemy’s engineers were clearing 
a channel, or canal, through the swamps and bayous on 
the west side of the river, from a point above the Island 
to one below, to enable them to get small transports 
below the batteries and to transport troops across the 
river and take the Confederates in the rear. But little 
digging was required, as the high stage of the river gave 
the necessary depth of water; but the trees had to be cut 
out of the way. The trees were felled, leaving the stumps 
just above the water. A cross-cut saw, forming the lower 
side of a triangular frame, was then pivoted by the upper 
angle to the stump, so as to swing freely—the blade of 
the saw being four feet below the surface of the water. 
Twenty men on a side operating this simple device could 
cut off a stump two feet in diameter in a few minutes. 
The canal was completed early in April, and several 
transports were at once sent through, arriving safely at 
New Madrid. As the gunboats were of too deep draught 



HISTOR Y OF CO. K, 


H 

to use the canal, preparations were at once made to run 
one of them by the batteries, and, as a preliminary step, 
it was decided to spike the guns in the dangerous upper 
battery. 

On the night of April 1st five boats were made ready 
with crews from the gunboats “ Cincinnati,” “St. Louis,” 
“Benton,” “Pittsburgh” and “Mound City,”and volunteers 
from the Forty-Third Illinois Infantry, all under command 
of Col. Roberts. In each boat were twenty men, exclusive 
pf officers. Every precaution was taken to insure se¬ 
crecy; the oar-locks were muffled, and the expedition did 
not start till midnight, when all was quiet. The night 
was dark and stormy, and the only difficulty was in find¬ 
ing the battery; but a flash of lightning revealed its i 
position as they got abreast, and a landing was effected 
without opposition. But two sentinels were on the bat¬ 
tery; these fired their guns and ran back to the main 
guard, who were on the parapet of the breastwork in the 
rear. By the time the alarm was fairly given the enemy 
had spiked the guns and re-embarked. The successful 
termination of this attack was due largely to the fact that 
the battery being submerged except the parapet, there 
was no place for the guard immediately around the guns, 
though there was, undoubtedly, carelessness in not having 
more men on duty. A boat was despatched to camp 
with the alarm, and a fresh detachment of men was sent 
up. Co. K, prior to this event, had received no arms, 
but during the alarm a lot of old muskets and ten rounds 
of cartridges were distributed. Two of the guns were 
unspiked during the nights of the 2d and 3d. 

The night of April 4th set in dark and threatening; 
in the midst of a terrific thunder-storm the long-roll 



FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


15 


sounded, and the battalion was hastily formed in line of 
battle in the rear of the batteries. Mingled with the 
almost continuous roll of the thunder was the roar of a 
heavy cannonade, while the lightning and the flashes of the 
guns, rendered more vivid by the intense darkness of the 
night, combined to render it a scene of wonderful grandeur. 
The firing continued but for a brief period, and quiet be¬ 
ing restored, the men were dismissed to their quarters. 

In the morning it was ascertained that the iron-clad 
“ Carondelet,” protected by barges of baled hay, had suc¬ 
cessfully run the batteries. She was first discovered by 
the sentinels at Rucker’s Battery, who fired their mus¬ 
kets, giving the alarm. An attempt was made to use the 
two guns which had been unspiked, but the charges were 
damp, not having been drawn after the guns were un¬ 
spiked, and they could not be fired. 

•During the 5th the fleet shelled the camp of the First 
Alabama and other regiments, but no one was hurt. 
The following night the enemy crossed a small force 
opposite New Madrid, and spiked the batteries of light 
artillery stationed there, but immediately retired. 

Sunday, the 6th of April, was clear and pleasant, and 
passed quietly. At dress-parade the troops were ordered 
I to be in readiness to march at the sounding of the long- 
roll. The signal came while the men were preparing or 
i eating supper, and leaving everything—the tents stand- 
' ing, cooking utensils scattered around, in some cases the 
food half cooked in the kettles—the battalion of the First 
Alabama in camp, numbering about 325 men, formed on 
the parade-ground and marched to the general headquar¬ 
ters. About 350 of the regiment stationed on the Island, 
60 at Battery No. 1 and a considerable number sick in 
camp were left behind. 







i6 


HISTOR Y OF CO. K, 


The commander of the forces at this time was Gen. 
Mackall, Gen. McCown having been relieved April 1st. 
It was dark when the troops, about fifteen hundred in 
number, left headquarters, the First Alabama in the ad¬ 
vance. After marching ten miles, the column was halted 
in the woods, and formed in line of battle about half a 
mile from the river and nearly opposite New Madrid. It 
soon began to rain, and as fires were not permitted, the 
condition of affairs was anything but pleasant. The 
object of the move was, ostensibly, to prevent a landing 
of the enemy, crossing from New Madrid. The night, 
however, passed without alarm, except a slight stir caused 
by pickets bringing in a prisoner. A heavy cannonade 
in the direction of Island No. io announced that another 
iron-clad had stolen by in the darkness. This vessel, it 
was afterwards learned, was the “ Pittsburgh; ” she was 
protected in the same way as the “ Carondelet,” and re¬ 
ceived no injury. Daybreak found the men cold, wet 
and hungry, many of them having eaten no supper. 
The wagons arrived about 7 o’clock; flour, bacon and 
cooking utensils were issued to the companies, and an 
attempt was made to prepare breakfast; but orders to 
resume the march compelled the men to leave the half- 
cooked meal on the coals. Information had been re¬ 
ceived that the Federal troops were crossing lower down 
the river, and that the garrison was in danger of being 
cut off. Many of the troops were unaccustomed to 
marching, and upon leaving camp had overburdened 
themselves with baggage. As a consequence, the road 
along which the men were hurried was strewn with every 
kind and description of apparel and not a few blankets. 
It was nearly dark when the command approached 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


17 


Tiptonville, and, making a detour, passed around and below 
it. That landing was already in possession of the enemy, 
and a force of their cavalry were following close in the 
rear of the retreating Confederates, picking up stragglers. 
While opposite Tiptonville there was an alarm, and the 
column was halted and brought to a front; but no attack 
was made, and the march was resumed. About three- 
quarters of a mile below Tiptonville the command was 
formed in line of battle, and there remained all night, the 
men sleeping in ranks, with their arms by their sides. 
Gens. Gantt and Walker, who had been stationed oppo¬ 
site New Madrid, had retired with our command, and the 
combined force numbered between 2,000 and 3,000 men. 

At 11 o’clock, Monday night, Gen. Mackall arranged 
terms for the surrender of his army, but the soldiers were 
not made aware of it until the next morning, otherwise 
many would have made their escape. The universal feel¬ 
ing among men and officers was, that the surrender was 
utterly uncalled for, and that the greater portion of the 
force could have been safely taken out while a few men 
held Gen. Pope’s army in check. Many denounced Gen. 
Mackall as a traitor, and asserted that the surrender had 
been arranged several days before. While this report 
i was wholly without foundation, yet of his incapacity no 
one who was present could have any doubt. Gen. 
McCown was removed by Gen. Beauregard because, 
after the fall of New Madrid, he had pronounced the 
position at Island No. 10 untenable, and Gen. Mackall 
was ordered there, with instructions to hold it at all 
hazards until further orders. On the morning after the 
gunboat “Carondelet” passed the batteries, he issued the 
following address to the troops :— 





is 


HISTOR V OF CO. K, 


Headquarters, Island No. io, \ 
April 5, 1862. i 

Soldiers: —We are strangers—the commander to the 
commanded, and each to the other. Let me tell you 
who I am. 

I am a general made by Beauregard—a general se¬ 
lected by Gens. Beauregard and Bragg for this com¬ 
mand when they knew it was in peril. They have 
known me for twenty years; together we have stood in 
tiie fields of Mexico. Give them your confidence ! Give 
it me when I have earned it! 

Soldiers! the Mississippi Valley is entrusted to your 
courage, to your discipline, to your patience. Exhibit 
the vigilance and coolness of last night, and hold it! 

(Signed) William D. Mackall, 

Brig-Gen. Commanding. 


Gen. Beauregard, in a communication published since 
the close of the war, expressed himself as satisfied with 
Gen. Mackall’s performance of the trust, but his troops 
saw only a series of blunders. 

Gen. Mackall surrendered 3,000 men, 4,000 stand of 
arms, 75 siege guns and 24 pieces of light artillery. 
The enemy captured four transports afloat, and two trans¬ 
ports and the gunboat “ Grampus ” which had been 
scuttled, and a considerable amount of stores and ammu¬ 
nition. 

The following are the members of Co. K who were 
surrendered at Tiptonville: Capt. J. F. Whitfield, Lieut. 
D. S. Hall, Lieut. C. E. Tuttle, Sergts. Thompson, Rod¬ 
gers, Merritt and Sears, Corps. Williamson and Blaylock, 
Privates Adams, Bledsoe, C. W. Brown, Cook, Dennis, 






FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


1 9 


Farmer, Frank, Fay, Hurd, Killough, May, C. H. Royals, 
Rice, Roe, D. P. Smith , J. S. Tunnell and Josiah Tun- 
nell ; total, 3 officers and 23 enlisted men. The commis¬ 
sioned officers were sent to Columbus, Ohio, and after¬ 
wards transferred to Johnson’s Island; the enlisted 
men were sent to Camp Butler, near Springfield, Ill. 
Several of the company were sick, and, with their at¬ 
tendants, were taken prisoners at the camp or in the 
hospital, viz.: Privates A. P. Brown, E. F. Brown, Fer- 
gerson, J. C. Hearn, Hearndon, C. J. Moncrief, W. L. 
Moncrief, J. F. Smith and Tarleton; total, 9. These were 
sent to Madison, Wis., and afterwards transferred to 
Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill. J. F. Smith, mentioned 
above, started from the Island 10 camp with the com¬ 
pany, but was attacked with measles, and was sent back 
to the hospital. Several hundred of the troops escaped 
across Reel-Foot River by wading and by boats. Among 
these were the following members of Co. K: Sergt. 
Norman Cameron, Corp. J. M. Royals, Privates Aver- 
heart, Durden, Hancock, Hutchinson, Elijah Hearn, 
George Hearn, Holston, Junius Robinson, G. H. Royals 
and Wilkins; total, 12. Some of the§£ were on detail 
at Battery 1 and elsewhere, and others were on the sick- 
list when the company left camp. 

The companies of the First Alabama stationed at the 
Island batteries were surrendered by direction of Gen. 
Mackall to Commodore Porter, Monday night, and were 
afterwards sent to Camp Butler, Ill. 




CHAPTER III. 

Prison life in 1862 —in the mud—bivouac at new 

MADRID—A FRIENDLY IRISHMAN-AT CAMP BUTLER- 

SCANT WATER SUPPLY-ESCAPE OF PRISONERS-AN 

ASTONISHED SENTINEL-PLAYING GUARD-LOST ON THE 

PRAIRIE-A PRISONER SHOT-HEALTH OF THE CAMP- 

< MORTALITY STATISTICS-CURIOUS PHENOMENA-DEATH 

VISITS THE COMPANY-COL. FUNDY IN COMMAND- 

PRACTICAL JOKES-TRINKET MAKING-NEWS FROM 

COMRADES-HOMEWARD BOUND-ARRIVAL IN DIXIE. 

At daybreak on Tuesday, April 8th, the retreating 
garrison were quietly aroused from their leafy, but not 
otherwise romantic, couches in the woods below Tipton- 
ville. It was a cold, cloudy morning, and the men, who 
had been without food or fire for twenty-four hours, stood 
impatiently in line of battle eager for something to be 
done that would warm up their chilled limbs and bodies. 
To continue the retreat, or to fight either would have 
been a welcome change, but the order that was passed 
down the lines was received almost in a spirit of mutiny 
by both officers and men. All knew that “ Do not fire 
on the enemy ” could mean nothing but surrender. Ra¬ 
tions were served out, cooking utensils distributed, and 
fires built; but while busy cooking the men were ordered 
to “ fall in,” “ stack arms ” and “ march,” and breakfast was 
abandoned or eaten half raw. Upon arriving at Tipton- 
ville the surrendered army was formed in close column, 
in an open field,and surrounded by guards. The field had 
been cultivated in corn, the previous year, and though 



FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


21 


the hollows between the rows might in dry weather, 
have offered rather tempting couches, they were treacher¬ 
ous ones in a wet season, while the black swamp mud 
was not conducive to cleanliness. During the day flour 
and bacon were served out, and the men had plenty of 
time to cook and eat. With night came on a storm, and 
the prisoners made such shelters as they could with fence 
rails and blankets. The only fuel was that offered by 
fences, with the stumps of the newly cleared land for 
pieces de resistance. Those who essayed the blanket 
shelters were roused by trickling streams of water from 
above, to find themselves lying in ponds of water one or 
two inches deep. Sounder sleepers would not awake till 
some rascal had filched their blankets, and the fire-build¬ 
ers had stolen their rails. By midnight the majority of 
the twenty-five hundred prisoners were packed, in circu¬ 
lar groups, six or seven deep, around the fires, which 
dotted the field, or were wandering disconsolately from 
fire to fire hoping to find some place where a gleam of 
the flames could be seen. The anathemas of the men 
were bestowed quite impartially upon the weather, the 
Yankees and Gen. Mackall the Confederate Commander. 
Words and invective were exhausted in showering curses 
upon the last. Had they not been prisoners the discom¬ 
forts of the night would have been of little moment, but 
under the existing circumstances it was dismal beyond 
description Day at last dawned, and the men were 
almost ready to welcome with a cheer the arrival of the 
transports, which were to take them away from such a 
mud-hole, even though it was to a military prison. The 
boats were small stern-wheelers and conveyed the men only 
to New Madrid, Mo., where they were landed in the mud. 



22 


HIS TOR Y OF CO. K, 


New Madrid mud is red, contrasting well with the Tipton- 
ville black, and, as there was no opportunity for ablutions, 
mud and smoke soon rendered the Confederates as varied 
in hue as Indian braves. Abundant rations of hard tack, 
bacon and coffee were served out, and, although the 
storm had not ended, the situation was much more com¬ 
fortable than during the preceding twenty-four hours. 
The officers were now separated from the enlisted men— 
something akin in pain to parting parents from children. 

' Thursday afternoon the prisoners were again embarked, 
and, under convoy, the boats steamed up the river. At 
dusk the fleet passed Island io, stopping for a short time; 
the next morning Columbus was left behind, and by 10.30 
a. m. a landing was made at Cairo. The prisoners were 
here transferred to close box-cars, which to sight and 
smell, bore evidence of having, very recently, been used 
to transport cattle. A bale of hay was rolled into each 
car, to serve—when spread over the floor—as seats and 
bedding. To secure the safety and welfare of the passen¬ 
gers one guard was placed in each car, and was not 
relieved till the train reached its destination. The senti¬ 
nel in our car was an Irishman, a social, friendly fellow, 
considerate of the prisoners’ feelings and reposing great 
confidence in their honor, which confidence was not 
abused. Probably his superiors would have been some¬ 
what astonished at his ideas about guard duty, which were 
not those laid down in army regulations. Whenever the 
train stopped, even after nightfall, he would either allow 
some of the prisoners to jump out and fill their canteens, 
or go himself. During the night he handed his musket 
to one of the Confederates, laid down in the hay and went 
to sleep. His brother, the guard in the next car got 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


23 


uproariously drunk, and about midnight came stumbling 
into our car. He was so quarrelsome that we put him 
out, in a few minutes he was back, this time bringing 
his musket and threatening vengeance, but our slumber¬ 
ing guardian being aroused quieted him with a few words, 
more forcible than elegant, and sent him back to his post. 
Placed under a quasi parole of honor by the kindness of 
our Irish friend, not a prisoner attempted to escape from 
his car though there was abundant opportunity. In one 
village through which we passed in the night citizen’s 
dress was offered to some of the men to enable them to 
escape if they so desired. The train reached Camp But¬ 
ler, four miles from Springfield, Ill., Saturday afternoon, 
April 12th. In the surrounding fields patches of snow 
were still visible, but the camp itself was a mud-puddle. 
When we left Alabama, a month previous, the fruit trees 
were in blossom, planters were busy ploughing, and the 
air was -mild and balmy ; on our arrival at Island 10 it 
was cold and the trees were bare, the first signs of Spring 
appearing as we left; now, for the third time, we were to 
have wintry weather. There were at Camp Butler fifteen 
or eighteen hundred prisoners taken at Fort Donelson, 
these occupied eighteen out of the twenty barracks within 
the prison lines, two being used as hospitals. The new 
arrivals were ordered from the cars and marched to the 
parade ground for inspection ; blankets were unrolled, 
knapsacks unstrapped and the persons of the prisoners 
searched for concealed weapons, but no money or valuables 
were taken. Some three hundred of the prisoners were 
then sent to the barracks, and to the remaining six or 
seven hundred were allotted tents, one to every six or 
eight men, boards wei;e distributed for floors and before 




H 


HIS TOR V OR CO. K, 


night the men were comfortably sheltered. The barracks 
were about sixty feet long by twenty wide, standing 
twenty feet apart, and were intended to accommodate 
one hundred men each. In front of the barracks—a street 
fifty feet wide intervening—the tents were pitched. Im¬ 
mediately to the rear of the line of tents was the guard 
and dead line; the dead line at the ends was within a few 
feet of the lines of barracks and tents and about two hun¬ 
dred feet to the rear of the barracks, thus enclosing in 
round numbers a parallelogram 800 feet long by 300 or 
350 feet wide. As the warm weather came on, a second 
line of tents was pitched in the rear of the first and the 
crowded barracks relieved. The supply of water on our 
arrival was drawn from five or six wells within the enclo¬ 
sure ; each barrack was supplied with a rope, and each 
mess used its own camp-kettle for a bucket, attaching it 
to the rope and drawing it up hand over hand. The 
scene around the wells was a lively one, especially just 
before the time for preparing meals. During the rainy 
season the supply of water in the wells was tolerably 
plentiful, though it would occasionally give out. By the 
first of May, however, the wells began to fail, and on May 
7th it is recorded in the writer’s diary : “ Water is getting 
to be a luxury, the wells are exhausted before sunrise.” 
After that time water was hauled from Sangamon river 
—about a mile distant—details of prisoners going with 
the wagons to fill up the hogsheads and barrels. It was 
esteemed a great privilege to go with the wagons as it 
gave opportunity to bathe and to gather mussels in the 
river. The fresh country air too was a wonderful contrast 
to the stifled atmosphere of the prison camp on a hot 
day. Outside the guard lines was another prison hospital. 




FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 25 

set apart for erysipelas cases, of which there were 
many among the prisoners. Its occupants burned in 
stripes with lunar caustic and painted with iodine, were a 
horribly grotesque crowd. Side by side with this hospi¬ 
tal was the dead house, always tenanted with bodies wait¬ 
ing burial. At the head of the street, which separated 
the barracks and tents, was the “ headquarters ” of the 
Commandant of the post; at the other end of the street 
was the guard house with its dreaded “ black hole,” a cell 
without light or ventilation. In an addition to these build¬ 
ings were the Commissary’s, Quartermaster’s and Sutler’s 
stores, and the barracks for the guard. 

When the Island No. 10 prisoners arrived the camp 
was not enclosed, and there had been in consequence 
many escapes. It was quite common to hear in the 
morning the announcement, “A squad of prisoners left for 
home last night.” As calling the roll was entrusted to 
non-commissioned officers among the prisoners—there 
were no commissioned officers prisoners at Camp Butler— 
and as their reports were verified not oftener than once a 
week, several days were usually allowed to elapse before 
absentees were reported, thus giving them a fair start in 
the race for the Ohio or Mississippi Rivers. As many 
as nine broke through the guard lines in a single night; 
nor were escapes confined to the darkness, sometimes a 
break would be made in the broad daylight, and as the 
cavalry patrolled the lines during the day with sabres, 
the only risk was that of recapture. In one case, as the 
astonished sentinel saw prisoner after prisoner flitting by, 
he cried out, in accents of despair, “ Corporal of the guard! 
corporal of the guard! run here quick, all the rebels are 
getting away!” These frequent-escapes of prisoners 






26 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


soon led to more rigorous measures. Those recaptured 
were incarcerated in the black hole for a week or ten ( 
days; all prisoners were required to remain in their bar- j 
racks from dusk until reveille, under penalty of being » 
shot, and a board fence ten feet high was built around 
the camp. The fence, made chiefly by volunteers from i 
among the prisoners, small wages being paid them, was 
completed early in May, and served to check the flight 
of the prisoners, though it did not prove an effectual 
barrier. Not many nights after its completion, during a 
storm, a party of four scaled it by aid of a short ladder 
they had constructed; a flash of lightning revealed them 
to the guard, who fired, but without effect. Some of the 
prisoners who worked on the fence, broke short the nails 
with which certain marked boards were fastened ; making 
a dash for the fence one day they pulled off one of these 
planks, and three got through before the sentinel could 
fire. Two of the three were recaptured while running the 
gauntlet of a militia camp, just outside the enclosure and 
did penance in the “ black hole,” the third escaped. An 
attempt was made to tunnel out, but it was betrayed to 
Maj. Fundy, and stopped when the tunnel had nearly 
reached the fence ; it was started from a freshly dug sink. 
Those engaged in it escaped punishment by pledging 
their word not to renew the work. The cavalry regiment 
guarding the camp having been relieved by ununiformed 
militia, a novel plan of escape was successfully tried. A 
lot of rusty muskets had been found in one of the bar¬ 
racks by the Fort Donelson prisoners on their arrival, 
these had been carefully concealed with a view that they 
might sometime be useful. After the wells began to fail, 
and before the hauling of water in wagons had been 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


27 


begun, squads of prisoners were allowed to go out with 
guards to neighborhood wells and fill buckets and can¬ 
teens. Procuring or fixing up costumes sufficiently like 
those worn by the militia to be mistaken for them, and 
brightening up the old muskets so as to pass muster, 
some of the prisoners played the part of guards and 
escorted out several squads who did not return. Another 
scheme was successfully played on the militia, who were 
very ignorant, many being unable to read. Hospital at¬ 
tendants were given passes to cross and recross the guard 
lines, they giving their paroles not to escape; noting care¬ 
fully those of the guards who read these passes equally well 
bottom or right side up, bogus passes were prepared, no 
attempt being made to imitate the writing of the Federal 
officials, and the guards passed the holders out. No less 
than thirty left in this manner before the imposture was de¬ 
tected. None of those under parole violated their pledges, 
nor were they in any way connected with the writing of the 
spurious passes, but they suffered, as all passes were re¬ 
voked. The regulations were henceforth so stringent that 
but few were able to elude the vigilance of the guards. 
During the six months that elapsed from the arrival of the 
prisoners to their departure for exchange, 225 escaped 
from Camp Butler. Not all of these, however, got back to 
Dixie, quite a number being recaptured and sent to other 
prisons. Among those who escaped by bogus passes 
was John Frank, Jr.; starting for the Mississippi River, he, 
and one or two companions, lost themselves on the prairies 
and, after wandering around for several days, made their 
way to a farm-house, where they procured something to 
eat, though they were suspected of being rebels. They 
next, unfortunately, wandered into Alton, where, finding 




28 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


themselves objects of suspicion, they surrendered. Frank 
rejoined us only when on our way to be exchanged. The 
first tragedy under the regulation requiring the prisoners 
to go into the barracks or tents at dusk, occurred on the 
evening of May 2d. One of the prisoners was seated on 
the steps of his barrack washing his feet, when “ retreat ” 
sounded; a guard, standing almost beside him, ordered 
him in, but the man was a little slow in complying, as 
he had his feet in the water; the guard repeated the order 
twice, and then fired on the prisoner, inflicting a wound 
from which he died in about three weeks. The sentinel’s 
conduct was approved, and he was promoted to be a cor¬ 
poral, but the precaution was taken not to place him on 
guard over the prisoners again, for fear of his meeting 
with an “ accident.” 

On our arrival at Camp Butler the - commander of the 
post was Col. Morrison, a superannuated officer of the 
regular army, kind hearted but very irascible. In his 
conduct towards the prisoners he was generally very 
lenient; soon after their arrival he had clothing and 
blankets issued to those who were insufficiently clad, and 
did them other favors. Towards his own men he, was a 
martinet. On one occasion the colonel crossed the guard 
line and the sentinel failed to salute him; crossing a 
second time to make sure the sentinel saw him, he halted 
in front of the negligent guard, and in thundering voice 
demanded: “Do you know who I am, sir?” “Yes, 
sir,” was the quavering response. “ Why did you not 
salute me?” and without waiting for a reply, he seized 
the volunteer by the collar and administered to him a 
sound kicking. To the prisoners, accustomed to a per¬ 
fect equality between officers and men, this was a novel 




FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


29 


sight and excited various comments To the commissary 
officer of the post, a Virginian, and, it was said, a South¬ 
ern sympathizer, the prisoners were greatly indebted for 
full rations and the privilege of trading any surplus for 
luxuries and merchandise at very reasonable rates. He 
had the reputation of being “square” in all his dealings, 
and was consequently much liked. 

On our arrival, and for sometime after, the mortality at 
Camp Butler was great; up to the 25th of May there 
had been 318 deaths, a rate equivalent to 56 out of every 
100 per year. During the month of May Maj. Fundy, 

I of the Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, was given supervision of 
the Camp, and, by stricter sanitary regulations, the 
death rate was diminished, there being but 162 deaths 
from May 25th to September 6th, a rate of about 22]/ 2 
out of every 100 per year. If it be taken into consider¬ 
ation that several hundred prisoners had escaped, the per¬ 
centage of deaths will be somewhat greater than stated. 
Up to September 6th, the date of exchange, 225 had es¬ 
caped, leaving 2,613; the average time of imprisonment 
was nearly twenty-six weeks—that is 1800 men 200 days 
j and 1000 men, 146 days; the total number of deaths was 
I 480, or 18*^ out of every 100 for the six months, or 
36^3 per 100 a year. In this connection it is but fair to 
state that the provision made for the sick was ample; a 
good assortment of medicines was kept in the hospital 
drugstore, which, after our arrival, was placed in the charge 
of Joseph Hurd, of Co. K, a competent druggist. Among 
the prisoners were several surgeons, and in addition 
to these, Dr. J. Cooper McKee, U. S. A., was surgeon of 
the post. While he was in charge he ordered large addi¬ 
tional supplies of medicine, and a room was fitted up 





3 ° 


HISTOR Y OF CO. K, 


exclusively as a drug store. When he was relieved, the 
latter part of July, a Springfield physician was placed in 
charge. The nurses were volunteers from the prisoners, 
among them N. K. Adams and Wm. H. Fay, of Co. K; 
D. P. Smith was Mr. Hurd’s assistant. 

To resume the company diary: On the Sunday follow¬ 
ing our arrival it set in to storm, and on Monday there 
was a heavy fall of snow, a novelty to many who wit¬ 
nessed it. Spring now rapidly advanced, and by May 1st 
the trees were beginning to leaf, the grass was green and 
violets were in bloom. On the 23d of April there was 
seen the curious phenomenon of four mock suns, the real 
sun being in the centre. There was a brilliant electrical 
display on May 30th ; for nearly an hour the flashes of 
lightning were almost incessant, but a few seconds inter¬ 
vening, while at times, for several minutes together, the 
play of electrical light would be absolutely without inter¬ 
mission. Occasionally great nebulous balls of fire would 
roll up from the horizon to the zenith, then would 
follow flashes of chain and forked lightning, diverging to 
every point of the heavens. No rain accompanied the 
electrical storm, but during its entire continuance there 
could be heard the distant low roll of thunder. 

May 3d the camp was shocked by a tragedy in one of 
the barracks occupied by Mississippians: one of the 
prisoners, in a quarrel with a companion, seized a billet 
of wood and struck a fatal blow. The murderer was 
taken to Springfield and put in jail, but was not brought 
to trial, and when the prisoners were exchanged he was 
sent with the others. 

May 9th, Thomas G. Roe (private, Co. K) died of 
measles. This was the first death in our company, and 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


caused sincere sorrow. On the following day he was 
buried in the prisoners’ graveyard, near the camp. Col. 
Morrison kindly permitted the company to accompany 
the body to the grave. William H. Fay read a chapter 
in the Bible and made a prayer. The grave was marked 
with a headboard inscribed with the name, company and 
regiment of the deceased. 

Early on the morning of May 14th, A. J. Merritt (ser¬ 
geant, Co. K) died of measles. Both he and Mr. Roe 
were sick from the time of our arrival. Mr. Merritt 
refused to give up, and remained in his tent till within a 
day or two of his death, when he became so weak as to 
be forced to go to the hospital. He was much depressed 
from leaving home and family, but both he and Mr. Roe 
died very peacefully. 

On the morning of July 7th, John N. Cook (private, 
Co. K) died, and was buried the same day, the company 
receiving permission to attend. This was the last death 
in Co. K at Camp Butler. 

On the 22d of June, Col. Fundy succeeded Col. Mor¬ 
rison as commander of the post. He was much less of 
a martinet, and was also popular with the prisoners in 
consequence of his showing them some favors. Occa¬ 
sionally through the summer he allowed the prisoners— 
several hundred at a time—to go to the river to bathe, 
under guard and an implied parole not to escape. The 
prisoners never, to the writer’s knowledge, abused his 
confidence. He would listen to complaints, and, if well 
founded, would remedy the evil. At one time the mil¬ 
itia—or, more properly, the recruits in an adjoining camp 
of instruction—made a practice of firing their muskets, 
loaded with ball, in such a direction that the balls fell in 



32 


HISTORY OF CO, K, 


the prison enclosure. The whizzing of lead became a 
sound of daily occurrence, but the prisoners stood it 
very patiently till one of their number was struck and 
seriously wounded. A committee was then sent to Col- 
Fundy, to remonstrate and to plainly intimate that if the 
nuisance was not abated, the prisoners would themselves 
go out and stop it. He gave them patient audience, and 
promised them there should be no more trouble. About 
the middle of July he attempted an exercise of authority 
that cost him much of his popularity. For some time it 
had been customary to make details of the prisoners to 
do work outside the camp, they not being averse, as it 
gave them a slight relief from the monotony of prison 
life. On the 14th of July a detail was made as usual, 
but when they found that the duty was to bring in a 
Federal flagstaff and assist in raising it, they promptly 
refused to work. An attempt was made at coercion, but 
Col. Fundy, seeing that they would rather be shot down 
than obey, sent them back to quarters. Finding that 
none of the prisoners would volunteer, as a punishment, 
he cut down their rations, which, prior to this time, had 
been according to army regulations. Nothing more was 
done in regard to the flagstaff for a week, when a detail 
of Federal soldiers brought in the spar, and on the 29th 
attempted to raise it in front of headquarters—a large 
crowd of prisoners watching the operation, and greeting 
with a yell each failure. Finally, the blue-coats accom¬ 
plished the feat, and, their hands relieved, they gave vent 
to their wrath by hurling a volley of sticks and brickbats 
at the jeering “ rebs.” The latter were not slow to send 
the missiles flying back, and the Federals, finding that in 
this game they were getting worsted, started for their 




FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


33 


muskets. Of course the Confederates at once dispersed, 
but a battery of artillery was brought out, so as to rake 
the street, and the guards were in a state of chronic scare 
for a day or two. The feeling between the prisoners and 
guards was not very friendly, and the former delighted 
in keeping the latter in fear of an outbreak. When there 
was a prospect of stormy weather, the prisoners in the 
tents would listen for the tramp of the sentinel, and when 
he approached within earshot, they would discuss the 
question of an outbreak, intimating that there was a plot 
to escape on the first stormy night. On several occa¬ 
sions the ruse succeeded so well that the garrison was 
kept under arms in the rain nearly all night. 

Practical jokes were common among the prisoners, 
and served to relieve the monotony of their durance. 
A jovial Irishman in Co. E, on one occasion, went to 
the quarters of Co. K, and informed a number of his 
acquaintances that his mess had a pot of soup that they 
did not want, and invited them to bring their cups down 
and get some. The guests, wjth tincups and spoons in 
hand, followed their host to his tent, to find that the 
soup-kettle had been accidentally upset and its contents 
spread over the ground. Watching their opportunity, 
the disappointed soup-eaters invited their joking Irish 
friend, as he passed by, to sit down to a plate of fritters. 
He accepted, only to get a mouthful of cotton covered 
with batter and browned in the frying-pan. Sometimes 
the jokes were of a rougher character, as when a mem¬ 
ber of Co. C, who had eaten a very hearty dinner, was 
given a drink of sherry, wine of ipecac, surreptitiously 
obtained from the hospital. 

Of books and other reading-matter there was a dearth, 


3 




34 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


and, as at other prisons, the men resorted to trinket¬ 
making as a pastime. Rings, breastpins, crosses and 
similar articles were turned off in great quantities, every 
barrack and every tent being a manufactory. Bone, 
vulcanized rubber, cocoanut-shell, mussel-shells, gold 
and silver were the materials; old case-knives made into 
saws, files, camp-made bow-drills, pocket-knives and sand¬ 
paper the tools. From the rations of beef was obtained 
the bone; mussel-shells were gathered in Sangamon 
River by the water-details, the scanty pocket-money fur¬ 
nished the gold and silver, while the files, sand-paper and 
rubber in the form of buttons and rulers were procured 
by trading rations with the commissary, The delicately- 
shaded pink and white shells answered admirably for 
mother-of-pearl for inlaying. No little taste and ingenu¬ 
ity were displayed in the making of these articles. 

The reception of the mail was an occasion of daily 
excitement, and the postmaster was surrounded by an 
eager crowd while the names of the lucky few were 
called. Correspondence was limited to one page to a 
letter, but the number of letters was limited only by the 
prisoner’s ability to pay postage. But few letters came 
through from the South, and the bulk of the mail was 
for the Tennessee troops and those having friends in the 
North. On June 28th a letter dated Camp Douglas, 
Chicago, was received by Eli Sears from J. Hearndon, 
giving us the first intelligence of those of the company 
who were left at Island 10, sick. As previously men¬ 
tioned, these—nine in number—were sent to Madison, 
Wis., where J. F. Smith died, May 15th, and C. J. Mon- 
crief on June 6th. Subsequently, we learned that E. F. 
Brown died September 4th, at Camp Douglas, to which 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 35 

camp they were transferred in June. The treatment of 
the prisoners at these two camps was very different from 
that at Camp Butler. No privileges were allowed; the 
rations were insufficient to satisfy the cravings of hunger, 
and as they were served to the prisoners cooked, there 
was not the variety which tends to keep men in health. 

About the middle of August the prisoners were en¬ 
livened by the hope of exchange, and on the 1st of Sep¬ 
tember the work of making out the exchange-rolls began. 


N. K. Adams, of Co. K, assisted, and from him were 
obtained the following figures :— 

Prisoners arriving at Camp Butler, 2,838 

Deaths,.480 

Escaped,.225 

Took the oath of allegiance, . . 270 

Total casualties,. 975 

Remaining for exchange, . . . 1,863 

First Alabama Regiment. 

Arriving at Camp Butler, .... 326 

Deaths,. 3 ° 

Escaped,.27 

Total casualties,. 57 

Remaining for exchange, . . . 269 


On September 2d, those who took the oath of alle¬ 
giance—mostly from Tennessee—left for their homes. 
On the 6th, one-half of those to be exchanged took the 
cars for Alton, there to embark for Vicksburg; and on 
the following day the remainder started, excepting a few 










HISTORY OF CO. K, 


36 

sick. The First Alabama prisoners were among the sec¬ 
ond detachment. Many of the cars were open platforms, 
and the trip in the hot sun to Alton was quite trying to 
those who had been so long imprisoned. At Alton the 
prisoners were transferred to transports, which left on 
the 8th and arrived at Cairo on the 9th. There the re¬ 
mainder of the Fort Donelson and Island 10 prisoners 
joined us, and, on Thursday, September nth, the fleet 
steamed down the river. Several gunboats accompanied 
the fleet, which proceeded only during the day, anchor¬ 
ing or tying up to the bank at night. On the 12th, the 
fleet passed Island No. 10, whose deserted earthworks 
were fast caving into the river. At Memphis the fleet 
remained two nights and a day. While there Jerry Stuart, 
of Co. C, First Alabama, died and was buried. There 
were some twenty-one or twenty-two deaths among. the 
prisoners while on the way down the river; and nearly 
every night or morning there was one or more rude 
graves -dug on the bank wherever the fleet was lying, 
and the uncofflned dead left behind. On the 18th we 
passed a fleet of transports returning from Vicksburg 
with Federal prisoners. Sunday morning, September 
21st, the fleet anchored above Vicksburg, at the ap¬ 
pointed place of exchange; and on Monday morning 
the prisoners were disembarked and marched across the 
bend to the ferry opposite Vicksburg, where they crossed 
over. The sick on the hospital boat were transferred to 
a flag-of-truce boat from Vicksburg. The citizens had 
prepared a bountiful barbecue, and did everything for 
the prisoners’ comfort that their limited means permitted. 
Lieuts. Hall and Tuttle met Co. K at Vicksburg—Capt. 
Whitfield going on to Montgomery, Ala., on a brief 
leave of absence. 



CHAPTER IV. 


CAPT. ISBELL AND HIS BATTALION — ARRIVAL AT PORT 
HUDSON-BATTLE OF CORINTH-THE REUNITED REGI¬ 
MENT-PORT HUDSON-LAND DEFENCES-RED RIVER 

SUPPLIES. 

Upon its arrival at Vicksburg, the First Alabama Regi¬ 
ment was quartered in the public-school building, where 
they remained several days. The city, even then, bore 
marks of the havoc of war. Shot and shell had torn 
huge rents in the walls of the houses, and ploughed up 
or dug great holes in which could have been buried a horse 
and cart. On the bluffs, and along the water-front, were 
batteries of heavy artillery, and soldiers were everywhere. 
Such an air of desolation pervaded the city that it was a 
relief to be ordered away. Two days after our arrival, 
on September 24th, A. P. Brown died of disease con¬ 
tracted at Camp Douglas. W. A. Dennis, who also 
returned sick, was sent to the hospital at Lauderdale 
Springs, where he died October 10th. On Saturday, 
September 27th, the regiment took the cars for Jackson, 
and, arriving there about noon, marched four miles out 
of the city, and went into camp near the Sweet Water 
Church. Here it remained till Wednesday, October 1st, 
when orders were received to proceed to Port Hudson. 
The regiment went by rail to Tangipahoa, La., and thence 
marched 33^ miles to Clinton, arriving on the morning 
of October 4th. The rest of the journey (20 miles) was 
made via the Clinton and Port Hudson Railroad. This 




HISTORY OF CO. K, 


38 

road was not first-class, either in road-bed or equipment 
—flat rails, on rotten stringers and ties, one locomotive, 
one passenger car and half a dozen platform and box 
cars. Only half of our regiment could be transported at 
one trip; and, as it was the rule to run off the track at 
certain points, night had fallen before the two trips were 
made. The regiment encamped on the bluff in the rear 
of Battery No. 1 (afterwards Battery 2), between the 
village and depot. 

After the surrender of Island No. 10, those who es¬ 
caped, and others absent on leave, were collected at Fort 
Pillow and organized into three companies, under the 
command of Capt. R. H. Isbell. In this battalion there 
were the following members of Co. K : Lieut. M. E. Pratt, 
O. S. Norman Cameron, Corp. W. L. Ellis, Privates E. L. 
Averheart, Josiah Durden, John Griffin, E. Hearn, G. 
Hearn, W. H. Hutchinson, Junius Robinson and G. H. 
Royals. The battalion was attached to Gen. Villipigue’s 
brigade; and soon after its organization was ordered to 
Grenada, Miss., where it remained some ten days doing 
provost duty. Thence it was ordered to North Missis¬ 
sippi to meet a raid of the Federal cavalry, but the enemy 
retired before its arrival. The summer months were spent 
in camp at Abbeville and Cold Water. 

Late in September, Gen. Villipigue’s brigade, including 
Capt. Isbell’s battalion, was ordered to join Gen. Van 
Dorn. The brigade arrived at Corinth, and was attached 
to Lovell’s division, forming a part of the right of the 
army. The first day’s fight (October 3d) resulted favor¬ 
ably to the Confederates. On the second day it was 
planned that Gen. Price should attack in force on the 
left, and that, while thus engaged, Lovell’s division 






FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT, 


39 


should press forward and attack vigorously on the right. 
The attack was unfortunately delayed by the failure of 
Gen. Herbert to advance till 8, a. m., giving Gen. Rose- 
crans time to bring up fresh troops. Price drove the 
enemy before him, and penetrated into the streets of the 
town. Here his thinned brigades were attacked by the 
fresh troops of the enemy, and driven in disorder back 
over the ground they had won. Lovell, in the mean¬ 
time, was advancing in pursuance of his orders, but had 
not yet engaged the enemy, when he received orders 
to throw Villipigue’s brigade rapidly to the centre to 
cover the retreat of Price’s broken ranks. This was gal¬ 
lantly done; and if Capt. Isbell’s men had no opportu¬ 
nity to win laurels in the battle, they won a glorious 
meed of praise as a portion of the rear-guard in covering 
the retreat. So well was the duty performed that Rose- 
crans did not attack, and Gen. Van Dorn retired in safety. 
The only serious molestation was a skirmish at the 
Hatchie Bridge. After the retreat of the army to Ox¬ 
ford, Gen. Villipigue’s brigade was ordered to Port Hud¬ 
son, where it arrived November 5th. There was great 
rejoicing in the reunited company and regiment. 

Gen. Villipigue died soon after his arrival (Nov. 9th), 
of cholera morbus, and his remains were sent to Rich¬ 
mond for interment, Corp. Ellis, of Co. K, being one of 
the escort. 

The regiment now numbered nearly 700 muskets, hav¬ 
ing lost about 150 men since leaving Pensacola. Capt. 
Isbell’s battalion brought with it a brass band; and, as 
the regiment was by this time fairly well drilled, it made 
a good military appearance on parade. The citizens of 
Mobile had presented the regiment with a uniform on its 



40 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


return from prison. Its guns, though in good order, were 
of a nondescript character—rifles, Springfield muskets, 
altered flint-locks and flint-locks; Co. K, being last on 
the list, had to put up with flint-locks. All the guns 
were, however, provided with bayonets, which gave them 
a uniform appearance. The men were in excellent spirits 
and condition. On the arrival of the regiment in Octo¬ 
ber Cos. A, B and G were assigned to batteries, and on 
December 31st Co. K was assigned to a battery to be 
constructed. 

Capt. Whitfield, who received a furlough after his ex¬ 
change, arrived at Port Hudson on November 8th; Lieut. 
Pratt, on November 17th; and Lieut. Hall, who was fur¬ 
loughed at Jackson, December 5th. 

Port Hudson is in East Feliciana parish, La., on the 
east bank of the Mississippi River, 25 miles above Baton 
Rouge. Before the war it was a place of considerable 
activity; about 30,000 bales of cotton and 2,000 hogs¬ 
heads of sugar were shipped there annually; there were 
twelve or fifteen stores, and a population of some three 
hundred. The bluff is very high—nearly 80 feet above 
low water. At the time of the arrival of the First Ala¬ 
bama, there were fourteen or fifteen guns mounted, vary¬ 
ing in size from 24-pounder siege guns to 8-inch shell 
guns, and one 10-inch Columbiad. During the following 
winter and spring several batteries were constructed and 
additional guns mounted, so that at the beginning of the 
siege, in May, 1863, the batteries and guns were as 
follows:— 

Battery No. 1 (signal battery)—Co. K, First Alabama, 
one 30-pounder Parrott, calibre 4 x% inches, siege carriage; 
one 20-pounder rifle (brass), calibre 4^ inches, siege car¬ 
riage. 




FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


4i 


Battery No. 2—Co. A, First Alabama, one 42-pounder, 
smooth-bore,barbette carriage; one rifle (old 24-pounder, 
smooth-bore rifled, but not strengthened), barbette car¬ 
riage ; one ditto, siege carriage. 

Battery No. 3—Co. G, First Alabama, one smooth-bore, 
42-pounder; one rifle, calibre 6 inches (old 32-pounder), 
both mounted on barbette carriages. 

Battery No. 4—De Gournay’s battalion, one 10-inch 
Columbiad and one 8-inch Columbiad, Columbiad car¬ 
riages. 

Battery No. 5—Co. B, First Alabama, one 10-inch 
Columbiad, Columbiad carriage; one 32-pounder, bar¬ 
bette carriage. 

Battery No. 6—De Gournay’s battalion, one rifle (old 
32-pounder); one rifle (old 24-pounder). 

Battery No. 7—Tennessee company attached to De 
Gournay’s battalion, hot-shot battery, two 24-pounders. 

Batteries Nos. 8 and 9—De Gournay’s battalion, each 
one 24-pounder, siege carriages, water batteries. 

Battery No. 10—De Gournay’s battalion, one 8-inch 
shell-gun, barbette carriage, water battery. 

Battery No. 11—Miles’ legion, one 20-pounder Parrott, 

| extreme right of the land defenses. 

The batteries were nearly all provided with bomb-proof 
i magazines, but with no protection for the men except the 
low parapet. From Battery No. 1 to 11 it was a little 
over one mile. 

A system of land defenses had been planned, and work 
' slowly progressed during the winter of 1862-3. The 
full plans of the engineers were never carried out, and at 
the commencement of the siege the wdrks on the north¬ 
ern side had not been begun. As planned the defenses 




4* 


HISTOR Y OF CO. K, 


began at Battery No. 11 and extended in a semi-circular 
direction for a distance of over four miles, striking the 
river near the mouth of Sandy Creek, about one mile 
above Battery No. i. The earth-works, where completed, 
consisted of a cremaillere line, broken by occasional 
lunettes and redans for artillery. Where the ground was 
open and favorable to assault, the ditch was from three to 
four feet deep and five or six feet wide. From the bot¬ 
tom of the ditch to the top of the parapet it was, in no 
case, more than seven or eight feet, except when in¬ 
creased by the natural features of the ground, as in front 
of Battery No. n, where there was a deep ravine. In 
Northern publications, maps are given showing a very 
complete system of defenses, with inner and outer lines, 
but these, if planned, were not constructed—there being 
but a single line of works, except that during the siege 
inner lines were constructed across points mined by the 
enemy, as at the northeast angle and Battery No. 11. 

During the autumn and winter of 1862-3 communica¬ 
tion was open between Vicksburg and Port Hudson, and 
*both places were supplied with provisions from the Red 
River country. Transports arrived quite regularly from 
Red River at Port Hudson, until interrupted by the block¬ 
ade established by Farragut in March, 1863. Cattle were 
driven from Texas for the use of the garrison; great herds 
of long-horned oxen swimming the Mississippi, was a 
curious but not uncommon sight. The cattle arrived in 
very good condition, but as there was but poor pasturage 
at Port Hudson some became skeletonized before they 
were slaughtered. 

The commissariat during the six months preceding the 
siege was generally good. Plentiful rations of corn meal, 



FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


43 


beef, sugar, molasses and salt were issued, and sometimes 
potatoes. Some extras could also be purchased in the 
surrounding country, while the river and cypress ponds 
furnished fish. 

The cooking was done in camp, the messes detailing 
some of their own number or hiring negro cooks. Ladies 
from the neighborhood quite frequently visited camp and 
showed much interest in the culinary department A 
motherly old lady, on one occasion, after watching the 
movements of one of Co. K’s cooks for some time, told 
the amateur, who had felt somewhat complimented by the 
attention, that she thought it would improve his kettles 
if he would burn them out. It is needless to say that he 
took the first opportunity of getting rid of the surplus 
soot and grease on his cooking utensils by following the 
advice. 







CHAPTER V. 


Incidents of the winter of 1862-3— an unexpected 

SALUTE-A PARROTT FOR CO. K-WHITFIELD’S LEGION 

—FARRAGUT’S FLEET-RUNNING THE BATTERIES-THE 

MIDNIGHT BATTLE-A CRIPPLED FLEET—BURNING OF 

THE “MISSISSIPPI”-COMPARATIVE LOSSES-THE LAND 

ATTACK — INCIDENTS IN APRIL, 1863— A SABBATH 

MORNING AT TROTH’S LANDING-CLOSE QUARTERS- 

SKIRMISHING. 

Col. Steadman at once began a strict system of disci¬ 
pline and drill. The following was the order of the day : 
Reveille at daybreak with roll-call, inspection of arms 
and policing of camps; 6 a. m., drill in the school of the 
soldier; 7 A. M., breakfast; 8.30 a. m., guard mounting; 
9 A. m., non-commissioned officers’ drill; 10 a. m., drill in 
the school of the company; 12 m., dinner; 1 p. m., skir¬ 
mish drill; 3 p. m., battalion drill; 5 p. m., dress parade; 
sunset, retreat; 9 P.M., taps. Companies assigned to bat¬ 
teries drilled at the guns at the hours for the company 
drill. Strict regimental guard was kept up, all the re¬ 
quirements of the army regulations being enforced. 

The first call to action was on Sunday, November 16th, 
1862, when the Federal fleet appeared at_ the head of 
Prophet’s Island, below Port Hudson. The regiment 
was ordered to strike tents and pack knapsacks; while 
the left wing, including Co. K, was deployed along the 
bank as sharp-shooters. In a short time the fleet retired 
and the troops were ordered back to camp. 



FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


45 


On the evening of December 13, 1862, Capt. Boone’s 
company of Light Artillery, supported by Co’s D and F 
of the First Alabama, crossed the river and after dark 
moved down opposite the anchorage of the iron clad 
Essex and a wooden vessel. The guns, consisting of two 
smooth-bore 6-pounders and one 12-pound howitzer were 
planted behind the levee, and at daylight the next morn¬ 
ing fire was opened on the wooden vessel. The fire was 
so effective that the Essex had to steam up and interpose 
her iron sides for the protection of her consort. Both 
vessels then retired down the river. Although the 
Federal vessels kept up a heavy fire our loss was but one 
man wounded. 

During the early part of December the regiment was 
busy constructing barracks of willow logs, the roofs 
covered with cypress boards. Co. K built two cabins, 
which were completed about the last of the month. 
They were 18 by 22 feet, with a large fireplace at each 
end. The chimneys were built of sticks daubed with 
clay. An open door way furnished entrance and light, 
while ventilation was secured by leaving the upper cracks 
between the logs unchinked; bunks were built in tiers 
along the walls, and the men were very comfortably 
quartered for the winter. 

On December 31st Capt. Whitfield received the 
promise of a one gun battery—a 30-pound Parrott gun— 
on the condition that his company build the battery and 
magazine. The battery was laid off above the redan, 
then known as Battery No. I, but separated from it by a 
deep ravine. Co. K worked alone on their battery till 
January 8th, when details were made from the infantry 
companies of the regiment to assist them. By the 18th 





HISTOR V OF CO. K, 


of January the work was so nearly completed that the 
gun was brought up from Battery No. 11 and put into 
position. The magazine was not completed till the last 
of February, the powder being stored in it on March 2, 
1863. The gun was christened the “ Lady Whitfield.” 

On December 26th, Lieut. Tuttle and Corp. John Hearn 
left for Alabama to secure recruits for Co. K. They re¬ 
turned in February having secured 45, as follows:— 


Adams, Jesse, 
Alexander, J. L., 
Boggan, Jno., 
Boggan, T. M., 

Boone,- 

Byrd, J. H., 
Callens, R. H., 

Clark,- 

Deno, M., 
Douglass, Wm., 
Dubose, Wm., 
Durden, G. W., 
Glenn, Simeon, 
Golsan, P. G., 
Gorman, John, 

Haley,- 

Hamilton, John, 
Hern, M., 

Hays, J., 

Jenkins, E., . 
Kirkpatrick, V., 
Lamar, M. D., 
Leysath, E., 
Lewis, J., 


Mobile Co. 
Autauga Co. 

Wilcox Co. 

(( << 

Autauga Co. 

Butler Co. 
Mobile Co. 


Pike Co. 
Autauga Co. 

u n 

ii ii 

Mobile Co. 


Pike Co. 

Butler Co. 
Autauga Co. 
Butler Co. 
Montgomery Co. 







FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


47 


Martin, G. F., 

Merritt,- 

Mills, 

McCarty, J., . 
McDonald,- 

. Autauga Co. 

Owens, J., 

. Autauga Co. 

Scott, B. L., . 

« << 

Scott, C, H., 

“ « 

Shaver, J. H., 

. Conecuh Co. 

Simpson, J. L., 

Butler Co. 

Shoals, J., 

Schein, J., 

Montgomery Co. 

Smyth, A. C. 

Smith, Henry, 

Butler Co. 

Stuart, J. J., . 

. Wilcox Co. 

Tarleton, M., 

Tharp, J. P., 

Vaughn, Wm, 

. Lowndes Co. 

White, A. J., 

Wilson, T. A., 
Winslett,- . 

. Autauga Co. 


In addition to these Henry Fralick, of Autauga Co., 
joined the company in September, 1862. 

Second Lieut. Dixon S. Hall having resigned from ill 
health, Junior Second Lieut. Tuttle was promoted, and 
an election was held March 4, 1863, for Junior Second 
Lieutenant, resulting as follows: John Frank, Jr., 35; 
Norman Cameron, 20; N. K. Adams, 8 ; John Frank, Jr., 
was thereupon duly commissioned. 

On March 12, 1863, Moses Tarleton, of Lowndes Co., 
one of the recruits, died, and was buried with military 
honors. This was the only one of the company, owing 










HISTORY OF CO. K, 


48 

in other cases of death to lack of opportunity, to whom 
these honors were paid. 

Company K, having a full complement of men, and 
having but one gun in its battery, was divided as to duty. 
One portion was drilled as heavy artillery, another por¬ 
tion as infantry, while Lieut. Tuttle with the remainder 
was detailed to act with a detachment of the regiment 
under command of Major Knox as river police. The 
company was jocularly known, in consequence of this 
division, as “ Whitfield’s Legion.” 

On the afternoon of March 13, 1863, several of 

Admiral Farragut’s vessels appeared in sight below Port 
Hudson, anchoring near the head of Prophets Island, and 
when the fog lifted on the morning of the 14th, his whole 
fleet lay at anchor just out of range of our guns. There 
were eight magnificent war steamers, one iron clad and 
six mortar boats. The flag ship was the steam-frigate 
“ Hartford,” with an armament of 26 eight and nine-inch 
Paixhan guns. The “ Richmond,” a ship of the same 
class, was armed with 26 eight and nine-inch Columbiads ; 
the side-wheel steam-frigate “ Mississippi ” had 19 eight- 
inch guns, 1 ten-inch, 1 twenty-pound Parrott and 2 
howitzers in her tops; the Monongahela, steam-sloop of 
war, carried 16 heavy guns; the gun-boats “ Kineo,” 
“Albatross,” “Sachem,” and “Genesee” each carried 3 
heavy Columbiads and 2 six-inch rifles. All of these but 
the “ Mississippi ” were screw propellers. In addition to 
the above vessels all of which, except the “ Sachem,” were 
to attempt to run the batteries, there was the iron clad 
“Essex” carrying 10 heavy guns and also six mortar- 
boats, each carrying 1 thirteen-inch mortar. These last 
were to cover the advance of the fleet by fiercely shelling 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


49 


the Confederate batteries. The mortar-boats were moored 
close under the river bank at the head of Prophets Island, 
and were protected from the Confederate batteries by the 
bluff which at that point curved almost at a right angle. 
The “ Essex ” was anchored in the stream opposite the 
mortar-boats, and the other vessels some distance lower 
down but in sight. 

On the afternoon of the 14th, the fleet opened fire ap¬ 
parently to get the range of our batteries. About seventy- 
five shot and shell were thrown, but the batteries made 
no response. All the batteries were manned as night ap¬ 
proached, while the infantry were at the fortifications on 
the land side, prepared to resist any attack by Gen. 
Banks’ forces. Until 9.30 p. m. all was quiet, then a red 
light was displayed from the mast-head of the “ Hart¬ 
ford,” the signal for the fleet to prepare for action. As 
the vessels passed his station, about 11 p. m., Capt. Young- 
I blood, of the Confederate signal corps, sent up a rocket 
and the sentinels on the batteries fired their muskets, con¬ 
veying the alarm from the lower to the upper works. In 
; a few minutes the eighteen guns in position along the 
bluff were ready for action. At the wharf lay two Red 
River transports unloading; on board all was confusion, 
the shrieks of the women, the shouts of the officers to 
their crews, the glare of light from the cabins and fur¬ 
naces, contrasted strangely with the death-like stillness 
and darkness of the batteries on the bluff. Just as the 
transports steamed away from the wharf on their way to 
Thompson’s Creek, up which they sought safety, Gen. 
Gardner came dashing up to Battery No. 1, and seeing 
the lights on these vessels and mistaking them for the 
gun-boats called out to Capt. Whitfield, “ Why don’t you 


4 





HISTORY OF CO. K, 


50 

fire on those boats?” John Hearn, not recognizing the 
General, replied, “ They are our transports, you infernal 
thief.” The commandant, either not hearing or con¬ 
cluding that under some circumstances deafness was com¬ 
mendable, made no response. 

So soon as the alarm was given, the Federal fleet began 
firing; the mortar-boats—the “ Essex ” and the “ Sachem ” 
—moored to the bank or lying at anchor, with guns trained 
during the preceding day, had quite accurate range; but 
the practice of the moving vessels was somewhat wild till 
they were at close quarters. Orders had been issued to 
permit the enemy to get well in range before opening 
fire, and it was not until the leading vessel was nearly 
opposite Battery No. 11 that the first gun was discharged 
from the bluff. Instantly flash after flash revealed the 
positions of the Confederate artillery. The “ Hartford,” 
with the “Albatross” lashed to her larboard side, was 
in the advance; the “Richmond” and “Genesee,” the 
“ Monongahela ” and “ Kineo ” followed, and the “ Mis¬ 
sissippi ” brought up the rear. 

At Battery No. 1 the upward passage of the fleet could 
only be traced by the flashes of its guns. Huge bonfires 
had been built under the bluff to illuminate the river, 
but the smoke of the pine wood only served to render 
impenetrable the darkness of the night, and they were 
immediately extinguished. Later in the battle, the signal 
corps, on the other side of the river, fired an old building, 
and the flames from this in a measure revealed the posi¬ 
tion of the vessels as they passed between it and the 
batteries. So soon as the Confederates opened, the fire 
of the fleet, no longer directed at random, was redoubled, 
and the roar of its hundred heavy guns and mortars, 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


5i 


added to that of the rapidly-served artillery of the garri¬ 
son, was fearful. Howitzers in the tops of the steamers 
swept the bluffs and gave some annoyance to the gun¬ 
ners. Leaving the rest of the ships to follow as best 
they could, the “ Hartford” and her consort moved stead¬ 
ily on past the fortifications, rounded the point, and, 
pouring a farewell broadside of grape and shrapnel into 
Batteries Nos. 1, 2, and 3, steamed out of range up the 
river. 

The “ Richmond ” and “ Genesee ” followed close in the 
wake of the “ Hartford” till opposite Batteries Nos. 4 and 
5, when a rifle-shell piercing the steam-drum of the former 
disabled her, and another shot passing through the smoke¬ 
stack mortally wounded Lieut. Boyd Cummings, her 
commander. A dozen other wounds in hull and rigging 
attested the accurate gunnery of the Confederates. Turn¬ 
ing, by aid of her consort, both steamers came close 
under the bluff, where, for a few minutes, they were pro¬ 
tected, and some one on board yelled out, with an oath, 
“ Now let us see you hit us ! ” A moment later, as they 
ran out into the channel, both were raked. A shell 
exploding in the ward-room of the “ Genesee ” set the 
vessel on fire, but the flames were speedily extinguished, 
and after running the gauntlet a second time, the crippled 
ships got back to their anchorage. 

The “ Monongahela”*and “ Kineo” met with but little 
better fortune. A 32-pound cannon-ball cut the tiller- 
ropes of the former, another shot demolished the bridge 
and seriously wounded Capt. McKinistry, her com¬ 
mander, while her decks were strewed with dead and 
wounded. About the time the tiller-ropes of the “ Mo- 
nongahela” were shot away, a 32-pound ball struck the 




HISTORY OF CO. K, 


5* 

rudder-post of the “ Kineo.” Both thus disabled, the 
“ Monongahela” ran into the bank, and the hawsers which 
lashed the ships together parting, the “ Kineo ” shot 
ahead and also ran into the bank. Backing off, the 
“Kineo” dragged with her the “Monongahela”; but the 
propeller fouled in the parted hawser, and the two vessels 
drifted helplessly down the river, letting go their anchors 
when out of range. 

The pilot of the steamship “ Mississippi,” confused by 
the smoke of the battle, ran that vessel ashore at the 
point directly opposite Batteries Nos. 3, 4 and 5. Her 
commander, Capt. Melancthon Smith, used every en¬ 
deavor to get his vessel off, but in vain. In the meantime 
her guns poured forth an almost continuous sheet of 
flame. Deserted by all her consorts she received the con¬ 
centrated fire of the batteries. A rifle shot, probably 
from Battery No. 1, knocked a howitzer from her maintop 
clear of the vessel into the water. One after another 
her heavy guns had been disabled, and thirty of her 
crew had fallen, when her commander gave the order to 
abandon her. The dead were left on the decks, four of 
the wounded were taken ashore, others leaped into the 
river; those who were unhurt got to shore some by 
swimming and others in the boats. Before all had left 
the doomed vessel flames burst forth, by whom set is a 
disputed question. Capt. Smith’ reported that he fired 
the vessel, while the men in the hot-shot battery as 
strenuously insisted that she was fired by them, another 
report stated that a shell exploded in some combusti¬ 
bles arranged on her deck for the purpose of firing 
her. Some of those who escaped to shore made their 
way down the river bank to the fleet, swimming the 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


53 


crevasses ; 62, including two officers, were taken prisoners 
the next morning. The flames spread rapidly, soon en¬ 
veloping the hull and shrouds. As the flames reached the 
larboard guns, they were discharged one after another 
towards the vessels which had gone up the river, while 
shells on her decks kept up a constant fusilade. From 
the time that efforts had been given up to get her off, 
there had been a constant shriek of escaping steam from 
her safety valve. Lightened by the flames she floated off 
the bar and drifted, a huge pyramid of fire, down the 
river illuminating its broad expanse till all was bright as 
day, and revealing the shattered vessels of the fleet as 
they hastily steamed out of the way of their dangerous 
consort. Long after she had passed around the bend 
the light of the flames reflected on the sky marked her 
progress. About 5 a. m., when at almost the identical 
spot where the Confederate ram “ Arkansas ” was blown 
up, the fire reached the magazine and the “ Mississippi ” 
existed only in story. The shock of the explosion was 
felt at Port Hudson, twenty miles distant. 

The battle lasted from about 11 p. m. to 2 A. m. Co. K 
fired their one gun 32 times. Lieut. Pratt had immediate 
charge of the gun, Capt. Whitfield being also present. 
Sergeants Ellis and Royals were the gunners and Wm. 
H. Fay the ordnance sergeant. Lieut. Tuttle was on 
duty with the river patrol. The eighteen Confederate 
guns fired altogether about six hundred shot and shell. 
Of which, according to Federal reports, at least one 
hundred struck the attacking vessels, as the “ Hartford ” 
alone was struck over thirty times. The loss of the First 
Alabama was three men slightly wounded. One man 
was killed at the land fortifications, and one man wounded 
in one of the lower batteries. Not a gun was injured. 


54 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


The enemy’s losses may be summed up as follows: 
the “ Mississippi,” burned; the “ Richmond,” completely 
disabled and obliged to return to New Orleans for repairs; 
the “Genesee,” slightly damaged by fire; the “ Monon- 
gahela,” bridge shot away and tiller ropes cut; the 
“ Kineo,” rudder disabled and rigging badly cut up. 
Casualties, “ Hartford,” 3 killed and 2 wounded; “ Alba¬ 
tross,” 3 killed and 2 wounded; “ Richmond,” 4 killed 
and 7 wounded; “ Monongahela,” 7 killed and 21 wound¬ 
ed ; “ Mississippi,” 22 killed and 8 wounded; and 62 
prisoners : total 39 killed, 40 wounded and 62 prisoners, 
including 2 commissioned officers. One of the latter, 
Midshipman Francis, was paroled in consideration of his 
gallant efforts to save the lives of some Confederate 
prisoners, who fell overboard from the flag of truce 
steamer “ Frolic,” at Baton Rouge, a few weeks before, 
while en route to be exchanged. The other prisoners 
were sent to Richmond. Federal accounts of the battle 
state that the fire of the batteries was so accurate as to 
threaten the destruction of every vessel exposed. The 
gunners of Battery No. 1 labored under a disadvantage, 
as the smoke settled in a dense bank in front of the 
battery, but there was reason to believe that their gun did 
good execution. 

Gen. Banks with 25,000 men was to have attacked by 
land, while Farragut assailed the river defences. On the 
evening of the 13th the divisions of Gens. Grover and 
Emory left Baton Rouge and were followed the next 
morning by Gen. Augur’s division. Gen. Banks estab¬ 
lishing his headquarters at the crossing of the Springfield 
road, seven miles below Port Hudson. Friday afternoon 
the enemy’s advance guard encountered the Confederate 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


55 


pickets and a sharp skirmish followed, in which several 
men were killed and wounded. The following day there 
was another skirmish in which the Federals were worsted, 
losing a number of officers, killed, wounded and prisoners. 
They made no further demonstration till Monday when 
Gen. Rust’s brigade attacked their rear guard as they 
were retiring and drove them six miles. The main body 
made no offer of battle, and the rear guard burned the 
bridges to prevent further pursuit. Thus ingloriously 
ended this attempt to capture Port Hudson by a force 
many times that of the garrison. 

The mortar fleet, “Essex,” and one or two other ves¬ 
sels, remained until March 28th, shelling the batteries, 
camps and transports at the wharves nearly every day, 
without, however, coming within range of the Confeder¬ 
ate guns. On the 18th, the enemy landed a force of 
infantry and artillery on the west bank and burned the 
residence of Capt. Hines, the lower batteries shelling 
the raiders that night. 

The “ Hartford ” and “ Albatross ” having gone up to 
Grand Gulf leaving the Red River open, several trans¬ 
ports with supplies came down. On the 21st, while 
these were unloading, just above Battery No. i,the fleet 
opened fire forcing them to steam up Thompson’s Creek. 
The rifle shells fell around our battery and camp. On 
the 24th, the enemy fired a sugar-mill opposite Port 
Hudson our batteries shelling them as they retired. A 
battery of light artillery planted by the enemy behind the 
levee shelled our lower batteries on the 25th but without 
effect. On the 28th the fleet steamed down the river. 
Admiral Farragut with the “ Hartford,” “Albatross ” and 
ram “Switzerland,” the last named having run the 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


56 

Vicksburg batteries, appeared above Port Hudson on 
April 6th, and on the 7th several vessels came up from 
below and exercised their guns for a while. There was 
a false alarm on the night of April 9th, caused by a raft 
with a fire on it floating down the river; it was boarded 
by the river patrol and the fire extinguished. 

Rev. Mr. Baldwin, who had been appointed Chaplain 
of the regiment, preached his first sermon on Sunday, 
April 12th. Nothing of special interest beyond an oc¬ 
casional visit from the gun-boats occurred until May 
5th, when the fleet above Port Hudson fired the 
“ Hermitage ” and another building. On May 6th Co. K 
received another gun, a rifled brass piece, 4 j^ inches 
calibre, captured on Amite river. It was clumsily 
mounted on a 24-pounder siege carriage, and christened 
“ The Baby.” In anticipation of receiving this gun a 
battery had already been prepared for it beside the old one. 

The mortar fleet, the “ Essex ” and the “ Richmond,” 
having appeared again below Port Hudson, orders were 
received on May 9th for a detachment of Co. K to take 
“ The Baby ” to Troth’s landing and at daylight on the 
loth open fire on the fleet. The entire expedition under 
command of Lieut. Col. DeGournay consisted of one 
24-pounder rifled, with a detachment from DeGournay’s 
battalion; one 4 t 6 q 2 ^ inch brass rifle, detachments from 
Co. K, First Alabama Regiment; one 20-pounder and 
one 12-pounder Parrott guns, with detachments from 
Miles’ Legion. Of Co. K there were 17 men, Sergeants 
Ellis and Royals, gunners, under command of Lieut. 
Tuttle. Soon after dark on the evening of the 9th a fatigue 
party began work, and during the night constructed a 
rude redoubt 12 by 24 feet, sinking it eighteen inches in 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


57 


the ground and throwing the earth to the front, thus form¬ 
ing an open earthwork with a parapet just high enough 
for the muzzles of the guns to project over. In this were 
placed the two larger guns, while the two Parrotts were 
placed in an old battery a few hundred yards lower down. 
From 11 p. m. till I A. m. the mortars shelled the batteries, 
but did not discover the working party. Shortly after 
4 a. m. the earthwork was completed and the guns were 
put in position. While the fatigue party were still stand¬ 
ing around, the flash and roar of the mortars caused a 
stampede of the non-combatants. As before, the shells 
were thrown at the batteries above, showing that the ex¬ 
pedition was still undiscovered. The guns were loaded 
and so soon as it was sufficiently light were aimed at the 
“ Essex;” then the command rang out “Fire!” The 
percussion shell from “ The Baby ” striking on the pro¬ 
jecting point of land between us and the ‘‘Essex” ex¬ 
ploded, the fragments rattling on the iron sides of that 
vessel. The guns were now loaded and fired as rapidly 
as possible, being directed at the “ Essex ” and mortar- 
boats. The latter were, however, moored close under the 
bluff and were secure except from fragments of bursting 
shells. As we afterwards learned the surprise of the 
enemy was complete; it took them but a few minutes, 
however, to recover, and shells from the mortars soon 
transcribed a shorter curve, exploding over our guns or 
burying themselves in the earth around them. Next the 
eight and nine-inch guns of the “ Essex ” opened, and a 
few minutes later a ioo-pound rifle missile from the “ Rich¬ 
mond ” burst just as it passed the battery. The earth fairly 
shook as mortars, Columbiads, rifles and bursting shells 
joined in one continuous roar on that pleasant Sabbath 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


5S 

morning. At the twenty-eighth shot, owing to the break¬ 
ing of a chin-bolt holding on the trunnion-cap, “ The 
Baby ” was disabled. A few minutes before this the 
“ Richmond ” moved from her anchorage, and steamed 
towards the batteries; the last shot from the brass gun 
went hurtling through her rigging, and the last shot left 
in the locker of the 24-pounder struck her under the 
quarter; the Parrotts, from lack of ammunition, or some 
other cause, had ceased firing, so the batteries were silent. 
The “ Richmond ” came steadily on until within about 
400 yards firing rapidly, then turning and giving in suc¬ 
cession both broadsides she steamed back to her anchor¬ 
age. The fleet now ceased firing and a death-like stillness 
followed the terrific roar of the battle. 

Co. K had one man, Clark, wounded, a fragment of a 
shell cutting off two of his fingers. One man was mortally 
wounded and a Lieutenant severely wounded at the Par¬ 
rott guns. There was also one or two casualties in the 
infantry support, and a man was killed in one of the 
regular batteries. The damage to the enemy was trifling; 
the “Essex” was struck about a dozen times by fragments 
of shell and once fairly by a solid shot. Four shot hit or 
passed through the rigging of the “ Richmond.” One of 
the mortar-boats was struck in the bow and another on 
the deck by fragments of shells, and it was reported that 
several of the crews were wounded. 

As soon as the firing ceased ropes were attached to the 
trails of the guns, and they were drawn out of battery, 
limbered up and taken back to camp. The enemy, 
curiously, did not re-open fire during the removal, thus 
showing that they were very willing to have the guns 
taken away. When the “ Richmond ” was seen to leave 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


59 


her anchorage, Lieut. Pratt with the 30-pounder Parrott 
started for Battery No. 11, but before he could get there 
the steamer was out of range. 

On May 12th and 14th the infantry companies of the 
regiment were sent to the breastworks in anticipation of 
an attack, a body of the enemy having cut the railroad 
between Port Hudson and Clinton. On the 14th there 
was a skirmish at Plain’s store, six and a half miles from 
Port Hudson. CommuniQation with Clinton was re¬ 
opened on the 15th, and the accumulated mails of several 
weeks arrived, some 1,500 pounds of letters, greatly 
rejoicing the whole garrison. On Saturday, the 16th, 
there was another alarm, and a detachment of Co. K, with 
i the brass rifle, was sent to the breastworks, remaining till 
Monday night, when *they returned to camp. On the 
18th a cavalry force under Col. Grierson made a raid on 
a small Confederate detachment guarding cattle, captur¬ 
ing the beeves and about 40 men. The same day four or 
five officers and privates of the First Alabama, who were 
fishing west of the river were captured. It was reported 
, that Simpson of Co. K was among those picked up, but he 
came in the next day. On the 19th the infantry companies 
: of the First Alabama were sent across the river and had a 
skirmish. Several of the enemy were killed, but our 
regiment suffered no loss. There was also skirmishing 
in the direction of Plain’s store on the 19th and 20th. 
The fleet below had for some days been regularly shell¬ 
ing the batteries but without effect. On the 17th the 
■ ( Genesee ” came up within range of Battery No. 11 and 
was fired upon with a 20-pound Parrott. An Admiral’s 
salute of seventeen guns was fired at noon on the 18th 
by the “ Richmond,” announcing, it was supposed, the 
return of Admiral Farragut. This brings us to the 
memorable siege of Port Hudson. 




CHAPTER VI. 


Siege and surrender of port Hudson—the invest¬ 
ment-SKIRMISHING-THE FIRST GRAND ASSAULT— 

ASSAILED AND ASSAILANTS-DOUBLY ARMED-LIEUT. 

PRATT AT BATTERY II-THE “ESSEX” DRIVEN OFF- 

LIEUT. ADAMS ELECTED-ARTILLERY PRACTICE-AS¬ 
SAULT OF JUNE I4TH-EFFECT OF BUCK AND BALL- 

BANKS’ INHUMANITY-LEAD FOR WATER-A GALLANT 

CORPORAL-BATTERY I I SILENCED-GALLANT SCHUR- 

MUR’S DEATH-THE SUNKEN BATTERY-MULE AND 

PEAS-THE FALL OF VICKSBURG-UNCONDITIONAL 

SURRENDER-GEN. GARDNER’S SWORD-CASUALTIES 

OF THE FIRST. 

The initiatory steps of the siege of Port Hudson may 
be reckoned from May 20th, 1863, when Gen. Augur, 
with his own and Gen. Sherman’s division, advanced 
from Baton Rouge. Gen. Banks, who had been cam¬ 
paigning in the Teche country, embarking his troops at 
Shreveport, landed at Bayou Sara, five miles above Port 
Hudson, on the 21st. His forces consisted of the 
divisions of Gens. Grover and Emory, Gen. Weitzel’s 
brigade of sappers and miners and two regiments of 
negro troops. A junction was effected with Gen. Au¬ 
gur’s command on the 22d, thus closely investing the 
position. Gen. Banks then assumed command, his forces 
consisting of four divisions, one brigade and two un¬ 
attached regiments, numbering from twenty-five to thirty 
thousand men. To resist this army, Gen. Frank Gardner 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 61 

had Beale’s brigade, consisting of the First and Twenty- 
ninth Mississippi regiments, the Tenth and Fifteenth 
Arkansas and the Forty-ninth Alabama; Lieut.-Col. 
Miles’ Legion; the First Alabama acting as heavy artil¬ 
lery ; DeGournay’s battalion of heavy artillery; a Ten¬ 
nessee company of heavy artillery; several companies of 
Mississippi light artillery, and some dismounted cavalry 
1 —all told, about six thousand men. Col. DeGournay, in 
an account of the siege, also mentions the Twelfth, Six¬ 
teenth, Eighteenth and Twenty-third Arkansas regi¬ 
ment, First Arkansas battalion, Ninth Louisiana bat¬ 
talion, a battalion of Texans from Maxey’s brigade; but 
he places the number fit for duty at the beginning of the 
siege at only five thousand, the Arkansas regiments being 
skeletons. 

On the 21st, Gen. Gardner sent out Col. Miles, with 
400 cavalry and a battery, to reconnoitre in the direction 
of Plain’s Stores. About four miles from Port Hudson 
they encountered Gen. Augur’s advance, and a severe 
skirmish of two and a half hours followed. The Con¬ 
federate loss was thirty killed and forty wounded. At 
the same time Col. Powers’ cavalry, 300 strong, had a 
skirmish on the Bayou Sara road, and, being cut off, did 
not return to Port Hudson. When night fell the other 
forces were recalled within the fortifications. From Sat¬ 
urday, the 23d, to Tuesday, the 26th, the enemy were 
engaged in taking positions, the close investment being 
completed on the 24th. The First Alabama, with the 
exception of detachments at the guns, went to the front 
on the 23d, and were stationed on the northern line, at 
that time unfortified. Col. Steadman having been as¬ 
signed to the command of the left wing of the garrison, 




62 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


Lieut.-Col. Locke commanded the regiment. Gen. Beale 
had command of the centre, and Col. Miles of the right. 
On the 24th there was heavy skirmishing, the First Ala¬ 
bama being engaged. The same day an order was issued 
for the brass rifle to be taken to a redan near the Jack- 
son road. Lieut. Frank, with a detachment of the sick 
and cooks—the only men of the company in camp— 
went with the gun and opened fire at long range upon a 
battery of the enemy, which was soon silenced. This 
gun remained at the Jackson road redan during the en¬ 
tire siege, the gunners suffering severely, and the gun 
being several times dismounted. On the 25th the First 
Alabama was again heavily engaged skirmishing, keep¬ 
ing back the enemy, while at the same time hurriedly 
fortifying, and lost twelve or fifteen men in killed and 
wounded. On the 26th the 30-pound Parrott was sent 
down to Battery No. 11 with a detachment of Co. K, 
under command of Lieut. Pratt, Sergt. Williamson, gun¬ 
ner, and a 24-pounder, rifled, was transferred from Battery 
No. 2 to No. 1. Lieut. Tuttle was in charge of Battery 
No. 1, and Lieut. Frank remained at the Jackson redan 
with the brass gun. Most of the 24-pounders were trans¬ 
ferred from the river batteries to the fortifications, their 
places being supplied with Quaker guns. On the 26th 
there was but little firing, both armies preparing for the 
work of the following day. 

Early on the morning of the 27th the enemy opened 
a heavy fire from both the land batteries and the fleet, 
and at 6, a. m., the Federal troops advanced to the as¬ 
sault. The heaviest attack was directed against the Con¬ 
federate left, the assaulting column consisting of Grover’s 
and Emory’s divisions, Weitzel’s brigade and the two 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


(>3 


regiments of negro troops. On the extreme left the 
negroes, supported by a brigade of whites, crossed Sandy 
Creek and assaulted the position held by Col. Shelby 
with the Twenty-ninth Mississippi. They advanced at a 
double-quick till within about 150 yards of the works, 
when the 24-pounder in Battery No. 1, manned by Co. 
K, and two pieces of light artillery on Col. Shelby’s line, 
opened on them; at the same time they were received 
with volleys of musketry from the Mississippians. The 
negroes turned and fled, without firing a shot. About 
250 of them were killed and wounded in front of the 
works; but the Federal reports stated that 600 were 
killed and wounded. If this were correct, they must have 
been shot down by the white brigade in their rear; and, 
indeed, volleys of musketry were heard in the direction 
of their flight. The First Alabama, Lieut.-Col. Locke, 
and the Tenth Arkansas, Col, Witt, engaged the enemy 
outside the entrenchments in the thick woods, and fought 
most gallantly; but were compelled, by the heavy force 
brought against them, to fall back across Sandy Creek. 
Col. Johnson, with the Fifteenth Arkansas, 300 men, 
occupied and fortified a hill jutting out from the line, 
and held it till the close of the siege, though desperate 
efforts were made to dislodge them; on the 27th they 
repulsed a very heavy assault, the enemy’s dead in front 
of the position numbering eighty or ninety. Gen. Beale’s 
command in the centre, and Col. Miles’ on the right, were 
assailed by Augur’s and Sherman’s divisions about 2, p. m., 
but the enemy was everywhere repulsed with heavy loss. 
At the Jackson road the detachment of Co. K, Lieut. 
Frank commanding, who were serving the brass rifle, 
were, with but one exception, killed or wounded. While 




64 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


ramming a charge home, Private Henry Smith was mor¬ 
tally wounded by a sharp-shooter; Corp. Fergerson 
promptly stepped to his place, and was instantly fatally 
shot. In the meantime Private Hayes had been stricken 
down. Private Sears was busy attending the wounded 
and Lieut. Frank and Sergt. Ellis fired the gun them¬ 
selves several rounds, the former pointing and the latter 
loading. While doing this Lieut. Frank fell, pierced 
by a Minie ball; by his request, Sergt. Ellis carried him 
out of the battery to Gen. Beale’s headquarters, and gave 
him some water from the General’s canteen. Sergt. 
Ellis then asked for more men, and the General sent 
his courier to the rear for a detachment, which came under 
Lieut. Tuttle’s command. Lieut. Frank and Corp. Ferger¬ 
son died that night; Private Smith lingered until July ioth; 
Private Hayes’ wound was slight. Near the camp, Pri¬ 
vate Winslett was instantly killed by a shell while on his 
way to Battery No. 11 with the Parrott gun. The final 
effort of the day was made about 3, p. M., when the enemy, 
under cover of a white flag, made a dash on a portion of 
our lines, but they were easily repulsed. All day the fleet 
kept up an incessant firing upon the lower batteries, but 
did no damage. The Confederates had about 5,500 mus¬ 
kets at the breastworks; and had the men been evenly 
distributed, they would have been about three feet apart. 
Fortunately, the nature of the ground enabled Gen. Gard¬ 
ner to leave long stretches of the works defended only by 
pickets ; and, as the charges were not simultaneous, troops 
were hurried from one point to another where most needed. 
The fortifications, as previously stated, consisted of an 
ordinary field earthwork, over any portion of which, at 
the beginning of the siege—it was materially strengthened 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


65 

during the 48 days at exposed points—a fox hunter could 
have leaped. In some places, in fact, as in front of the 
First Alabama, there were no breastworks. Against this 
small force and weak defences Banks hurled nearly his 
whole army of 25,000 men, who fought bravely, but were 
badly handled. Gen. Banks loss was 293 killed and 1,549 
wounded; the Confederate loss was about 200 killed and 
wounded. The Confederates picked up outside the works 
1 the following night a considerable number of Enfield 
rifles. These guns, with others subsequently captured, 

I were retained at the works, and ere the close of the siege 
1 most of the men were armed with two guns each—a 
musket loaded with buck and ball for use at close quar¬ 
ters, and a rifle for sharp shooting. As the fixed ammu¬ 
nition for the Enfield’s became exhausted, the men used 
the powder from musket cartridges, and for lead picked 
up Minie balls fired into the place by the enemy. These 
Yankee leaden missiles were also used instead of canister 
and were so thick on the surface of the ground within our 
lines, that it was but the work of a few minutes to pick 
up enough to charge a 12-pounder gun. 

During the bombardment, on the 27th, a rifle shell from 
the fleet struck in Battery No. 5 disabling the 10-inch Col- 
j umbiad carriage and killing a private of Co. G, First Ala- 
| bama. A squad from Co. K worked in that battery on 
the nights of the 27th and 28th in dismounting and re¬ 
mounting, after the repair of the carriage, this 10-inch 
gun, which was ready for service again on the 29th. The 
man who was killed was standing on the carriage and was 
literally torn to pieces. 

1 \ On the 28th there was a cessation of hostilities at the 
^breastworks for the purpose of burying the dead. Gen. 


5 





66 


HISTOR Y OF CO. K, 


Banks did not deem it worth while to bury the colored 
troops who “ fought nobly,” and their bodies lay festering 
in the sun till the close of the siege, when the colored 
regiments gathered the bones of their unfortunate 
brothers-in-arms and buried them. 

At 7 p. M. the truce ended and the enemy made a 
furious rush upon the position held by the First Alabama. 
The fighting lasted nearly an hour, but the enemy were 
gallantly repulsed. The armistice did not embrace the 
river batteries and fleet, and the firing from the latter was 
unusually heavy. As previously mentioned Lieut. Pratt 
had received orders to take the 30-pounder Parrott, with 
a detachment from Co. K to Battery No. 11. An old 
24-pounder, rifled, manned by a. detachment from Col. 
DeGournay’s battalion was also ordered to report to 
him at the same battery. His orders were to open upon 
the enemy’s fleet at daylight, but owing to the darkness 
of the night and the road being torn up by shells, it was 
after sunrise when the guns were got into position. The 
battery was very small, having been built for one gun 
only, and the parapet was but little over knee-high. About 
6 A. m., everything being in readiness, Lieut. Pratt opened 
fire with the two guns upon the “ Essex ” anchored one 
mile or more distant. Within ten minutes the little bat¬ 
tery was receiving the concentrated fire of the fleet in¬ 
cluding the six mortar-boats. The “ Essex,” owing to 
her position, was the most accurate in her fire; three 
shells from her nine-inch guns exploded on the platform 
of the battery, and one struck a canteen hanging on the 
knob of the cascable of the Parrott. Private Joe Tunnell 
was slightly wounded by this shell; he was thrown upon 
his face and it was supposed he was killed, but he got up 



FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


67 


and brushing the dirt from his face exclaimed, “ Well, 
boys they liked to have got me.” His wound though 
not serious disabled him, and Lieut. Pratt, in addition to 
his own duties as commander, had to assist in serving the 
gun. Lieut. Pratt was himself wounded during the action, 
but did not leave the battery; he was standing on the 
parapet watching the effect of the fire, when a shell ex¬ 
ploded in the earth under his feet, and threw him into the 
battery, while fragments of the shell struck him on the 
hand and hip. Never did men act with more coolness 
than those at these guns, nor has artillery often been more 
ably served. There were fired from Co. K’s gun 49 shot 
and shell, and from the other piece 50. The enemy’s 
vessels were struck repeatedly; one shell from the Par¬ 
rott was seen to enter a port-hole of the “ Essex,” after 
which she closed her ports and, without firing another 
shot, retired out of range. The “ Genesee ” was also 
struck, and it was thought partially crippled. In ad¬ 
dition to the casualties in Co. K, one man at the other 
gun was wounded. 

The enemy made no more general assaults upon the 
works until June 14th, but in the- meantime were ap¬ 
proaching by parallels and planting batteries of heavy 
siege and naval guns. A steady fire was kept up day and 
night both by the fleet and the land batteries. There were 
about eighty siege pieces in these latter. An eight-inch 
howitzer so planted as to enfilade a portion of the south¬ 
ern line of defences, caused much amusement as well as 
annoyance to the Confederates. It was fired with light 
charges so as to make the shell ricochet and was, in con¬ 
sequence, christened “ Bounding Bet ” by the men, who 
speedily sought cover whenever they saw a puff of smoke 



HIS TOR Y OF CO. K, 


from it. The deadly missile would go rolling and skip¬ 
ping along the inside of the line of works, finally explod¬ 
ing; one, that failed to burst, was opened and found to con¬ 
tain 480 copper balls of less than half an inch in diameter. 

The sharp shooters were constantly engaged, and a 
man could scarcely show his head above the breastworks, 
at the more exposed points, without its being made a 
target. On May 31st the Parrott gun in Battery n 
fired a few rounds at the fleet. Soon after this Co. K 
was given a 24-pounder siege gun on the south side of 
the works named, by the company that had formerly used 
it,,“ Virginia,” and the Parrott was transferred to DeGour- 
nay’s battalion. 

On the 3d of June an election was held in Co. K to fill 
the vacancy caused by the death of Lieut. Frank. N. K. 
Adams received 37 votes, W. L. Ellis 7, scattering 4, and 
Lieut. Adams was duly commissioned. Hot weather had 
now set in, and this, coupled with constant exposure in 
the trenches, caused much sickness among the troops ; 
camp fever, diarrhoea, chills and fever soon reduced the 
number able to report for duty nearly one-third, and many 
of Co. K were among the sick. The company now served 
only at the artillery; Lieut. Pratt had charge of the 
“ Virginia,” on the south side of the fortifications, Lieut. 
Tuttle had “ The Baby,” brass rifle, at the Jackson Road, 
Lieut. Adams remained at Battery No. 1, occasionally 
relieving Lieuts. Pratt and Tuttle. Capt. Whitfield was 
placed in command of the Batteries 1, 2, 3 and 5, manned 
by detachments from Cos. K, A, G and B, respectively. 
The detachments of Co. K, at the “ Virginia” and “ Baby,” 
were daily relieved by the men held in reserve at Battery 
No. 1. The fire of the enemy’s land batteries was now 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


6q 


very annoying, and the Confederate artillery could not 
fire a gun without having the fire of a dozen pieces con¬ 
centrated upon it. Co. K’s brass gun was in this way 
several times silenced, and during the siege had two or 
three sets of wheels cut down. Finally the artillerists 
were compelled to withdraw their guns from the batteries 
and only run them in when a charge was made. In a 
measure to meet this emergency, the ten-inch Columbiad 
in Battery No. 4, on the river, was turned around and 
brought to bear by calculation on the batteries giving the 
most annoyance, and fire opened, apparently with con¬ 
siderable effect as the enemy’s fire slackened. Quite a 
number of eight and nine-inch guns were landed from the 
fleet, and placed in positions where they did much damage 
to the Confederate works. A battery of seven of these 
guns were located in front of Gen. Beale’s centre, one of 
six guns to the right of the Jackson Road, in front of Co. 
K’s brass gun, and one of seven guns in front of Col. 
Steadman’s command. From all of these a constant fire 
was kept up. 

A singular phenomenon occurred on the night of June 
13th; after a heavy cannonading an immense wave, at 
least six feet in height, rushed up the river, and at the 
same time Battery No. 6 caved into the river, one gun 
being lost. Whether the wave caused the bluff to cave 
in, or the bluff caving caused the wave, was a disputed 
question in camp, the general opinion, however, was that 
not a sufficient mass of earth fell to cause such a dis¬ 
turbance of the river. 

About 3 a. m. on the 1 ith, after a heavy bombardment, 
the enemy made an attempt to storm the southeast angle 
of the works, but were repulsed. On the morning of the 


70 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


13th a tremendous bombardment was opened, and a show 
of force was made. The firing then ceased and Gen. 
Banks sent in a flag of truce, demanding the surrender of 
the place. He complimented the garrison and com¬ 
mander in high terms; their courage, he said, amounted 
almost to heroism, but it was folly for them to attempt to 
hold the place any longer, as it was at his will, and he 
demanded the surrender in the name of humanity, to 
prevent the sacrifice of lives, as it would be impossible to 
save the garrison from being put to the sword when the 
works should be carried by assault; his artillery was 
equal to any in extent and efficiency, and his men out¬ 
numbered the garrison five to one. Gen. Gardner simply 
replied that his duty required him to defend the post. 

Before day on the morning of June 14th the enemy’s 
land batteries and the fleet opened fire with unusual 
rapidity, and about daylight the assault began. From 
the northeast angle to the Jackson Road the fighting was 
the most severe; the line between these points was de¬ 
fended by the First Mississippi and Forty-ninth Alabama 
and three or four pieces of artillery, including Co. K’s 
brass rifle at the Jackson Road. Gen. Banks’ plan of 
attack was as follows: two regiments of sharp shooters 
were ordered to advance as skirmishers, these were fol¬ 
lowed by a regiment with hand grenades, while another 
rolled up cotton bales to fill the ditch. Weitzel’s brigade 
and two brigades commanded by Cols. Kimball and 
Morgan, all under command of Gen. Weitzel, formed the 
storming party. On the left of this command was Gen. 
Emory’s division under command of Gen. Paine. 

The Federals advanced, through their parallels, to 
within three hundred yards, and then, under cover of the 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


7i 


dusk of the early morning and the smoke of their artillery, 
formed their line of battle, and advanced to the assault, 
in many places approaching to within ten feet of the 
works. They were received, however, with so deadly a 
fire of “ buck and ball ” that they were everywhere driven 
back with heavy loss, or crouched in the ditch for 
protection. By mere physical pressure of numbers some 
got within the works, in front of the First Mississippi and 
Forty-ninth Alabama regiments, but were instantly shot 
down. Co. K’s brass rifle did good execution; Lieut. 
Tuttle was in command and Sergt. Royals was gunner. 
In the midst of a terrific shower of rifle balls, it was served 
with coolness and deliberation. The enemy’s hand grenade 
experiment proved an unfortunate one for the assailants, as 
very few exploded when thrown in—they were percussion 
grenades—but when thrown back by the Confederates, 
from the slightly elevated works, into the midst of the 
Federals below, they'exploded, carrying death to their 
former owners. The fight lasted, with great severity, for 
about two hours, when the infantry fell back, but a heavy 
artillery fire was kept up all day. About one hundred 
prisoners were captured in the ditch near the Jackson 
Road, being unable to retreat. Among the Federal 
troops, who especially distinguished themselves here, were 
the Eighth New Hampshire and Thirty-eighth Massachu¬ 
setts regiments. The fighting was very severe in front 
of the First Alabama, but the enemy did not get so near 
the works. On the right a feint was made, but the enemy 
did not approach to within close musketry range. In 
front of the 24-pounder, “ Virginia,” manned by Co. K, 
they approached near enough for shrapnel, and Lieut. 
Pratt sent a few shell into their ranks, but they soon 


72 


HISTOR Y OF CO. K, 


withdrew. The enemy's official report of the losses, was 
203 killed, 1,401 wounded, 201 missing, total 1,805. Proba¬ 
bly many of those reported missing were killed, as there 
were 260 Federal dead buried in front of the centre alone, 
while the number of prisoners taken was but about 100. 

After this repulse, Gen. Banks sent no flag of truce for 
the purpose of burying the dead or removing the wounded 
for three days. On the 17th Gen. Gardner sent out a 
flag and requested the Federal commander to bury his 
dead; but he replied that there were no dead to bury. 
Gen. Beale, at Gen. Gardner’s request, then sent a flag to 
Gen. Augur, who commanded in his front, calling his 
attention to the unburied dead. Gen. Augur replied that 
he did not think there were any there, but would grant a 
cessation of hostilities to see. Parties of Confederates 
were detailed to collect and pass over to the Federals 
the dead near our lines, and, as above stated, 260 were 
thus removed. Among the dead was found a wounded 
officer—a Captain—who had been lying exposed to the 
sun for three days without water, and was fly blown from 
head to foot. At the close of the siege the writer was 
informed that this man recovered. During the three days 
many wounded must have perished on the field, as they 
could be heard crying piteously for help. A Confederate, 
more tender-hearted than Banks, was shot by the enemy 
while carrying a canteen of water to a wounded Federal 
who lay near the works. In front of Col. Steadman’s 
position the dead were not buried, and their bodies could 
seen from the breastworks, at the time of the surrender, 
twenty-five days after the fight. 

On June 15th Co. K removed a 42-pounder, smooth¬ 
bore, barbette carriage, from Battery 2 or 3 to Battery 




FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


73 


No. i, to replace the 24-pounder siege piece which had 
been sent to the land defences. 

During the remainder of the month, there was an 
incessant fire of sharp shooters and artillery. To the left 
of the Jackson Road, the enemy built up a tower of casks 
filled with earth, two or three tiers in height, from which 
their sharpshooters were able to over look the Confeder¬ 
ate works, and keep up an annoying fire. It was not 
more than 60 yards from our lines, but the two or three 
pieces of artillery which could be brought to bear on 
it, were commanded by a score of the enemy’s heavy 
guns, and could not be used to batter it down. At other 
portions of the line the enemy rolled bales of cotton to 
within close range, and surmounted them with sand-bags, 
arranged with narrow loop-holes, for the sharpshooters. 
On the 25th, Corp. L. H. Skelton, of Co. F, First Missis¬ 
sippi regiment, crawled out and placed port-fires in the 
bales of cotton and fired them; the first attempt failing, 
he went out a second time and succeeded in burning a 
number of bales. On the night of the 26th, 30 men made 
a sortie near the southeast angle, spiked the guns of one 
of the enemy’s batteries, and captured seven prisoners. 

Co. K began about the last of June to make an exca¬ 
vation, partially behind the Jackson Road redoubt, in 
which to place their brass rifle, with a view of battering 
down the sharp shooters’ tower. It was intended to be 
so constructed as to be protected from the enemy’s artil¬ 
lery, but as the work could only be done at night, it was 
not completed in time to be of essential service. J. 
McCarty was killed at the brass gun, on June 23d, by a 
fragment of a shell. This was the last casualty in the 
company during the siege. 


74 


HIS TOR Y OF CO. K , 


While these events were in progress in the centre, the 
enemy had been busy, on the extreme right, preparing to 
assault Battery No. n, which was the key to the Con¬ 
federate works. They erected a battery containing 17 
eight and nine-inch smooth bore guns and 20-pounder 
Parrotts, on the opposite side of the ravine and distant only 
150 yards. On the opposite bank of the river, Parrott 
guns, manned by United States Regulars, were planted. 
Lieut. Schurmer, of DeGournay’s battalion, was in com¬ 
mand of Battery 11, and its defense could have been en¬ 
trusted to no more gallant gentleman. Gen. D. H. Hill, 
in a letter to the writer, said, “ I knew Schurmer well at 
Yorktown,” and in a subsequent number of his magazine 
related the following incident connected with the siege of 
that place, where Schurmer was under his command : 
Schurmer was in charge of a 42-pounder, and especially 
distinguished himself by the accuracy of his fire. It was 
regarded as remarkable, even in the Federal army, and 
one of the French princes, on McClellan’s staff, made 
mention of it in a report of the operations at Yorktown. 
When Yorktown was evacuated he remained in Fort 
Magruder firing the 42-pounder all night, thus contribu¬ 
ting essentially to the deception of the enemy. He 
attempted to escape the next morning on foot, but, 
exhausted, fell asleep by the wayside and was captured. 

In Battery No. 11 was the 30-pounder Parrott formerly 
in Battery No. 1. On Friday morning, June 26th, the 
fleet and land batteries opened a terrific fire on the earth¬ 
work, and in a few minutes Co. K’s old gun was forever 
silenced. One shell exploded in the muzzle, breaking off 
about a foot of it, while the carriage was struck by five 
or six shots and cut down. Three times during the day 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


75 


the Confederate flag was shot away, falling outside the 
works, and each time Schurmer, regardless of the storm 
of shot and shell, replaced it. Without intermission by 
day or night, the enemy kept up this fire until the 30th, 
and under cover of it advanced their parallels down 
through the ravine to within fifteen feet of the battery. 
Gallant Schurmer never relaxed his heroic devotion to 
duty, and on the 29th fell dead at his post. The next 
day while the Confederates were rolling ten-inch shells 
over the parapet into the enemy’s ditches, a storming 
party of some two hundred men made a rush for the 
battery. Its squad of defenders were hastily reinforced 
and the assailants were driven out, leaving sixteen dead 
inside our lines. On July 4th the Federal sappers were 
driven out of their ditches by hand grenades, but they 
claimed, after the surrender, that they had mined Battery 
11 and had 3,000 pounds of powder under it ready to 
explode had the siege been further prolonged. The 
enemy’s batteries, on the west bank of the river, occasion¬ 
ally opened but were always silenced by Batteries 3, 4 
and 5. On the centre of the south side the enemy kept 
quiet, and the detachment of Co. K, at the 24-pounder, 
had but little to do. A few shots were fired on the 2d of 
July. 

At the northeast angle the enemy,, during the latter 
part of June and the first of July, were very busy 
mining, but the Confederates were no less industrious. 
An inner line of works extending across the angle was 
thrown up, the enemy’s mine was countermined, and on 
the 4th blown up. The enemy’s sappers were also con¬ 
stantly annoyed by rolling ten-inch shells into their 
ditches. On July 4th the enemy fired salutes from all 


76 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


their batteries with shotted guns, making it a warm day 
within our lines. 

On the night of the 6th Co. K completed the sunken 
redoubt for the brass rifle, and on the following morning 
opened fire on the sharpshooters’ castle; but the em¬ 
brasure was incorrectly laid off, and the gun could not 
be brought to bear on the tower without firing so close 
to the side of the embrasure as to cause the earth to cave 
in; so that, after firing three shots, the gun could no 
longer be brought to bear on the mark. Owing to the 
fire of the sharpshooters, nothing could be done to cor¬ 
rect the mistake till night. The necessary changes in 
the earthwork were made that night, and on the morn¬ 
ing of the 8th the detachment was at the gun ready to 
open fire, when the flag of truce was raised.- 

The condition of the garrison was now such as to 
* limit further resistance to a few days. Early in June 
the enemy’s shells had fired the commissary building 
and mill, destroying several thousand bushels of grain 
and the chief means of grinding what was left. Fortu¬ 
nately, the only locomotive of the Clinton and Port Hud¬ 
son Railroad was at Port Hudson. This was blocked up, 
and furnished power to drive a portable mill. The corn, 
with the exception of two or three days’ rations, held in 
reserve for an emergency, failed the last of June, and the 
supply of meat failed about the same time. There still 
remained a considerable stock of field peas and mules. 
When the men of the First Alabama were asked if they 
would eat mule, they replied, ‘‘ Yes ; give us dog if neces¬ 
sary.” The same spirit animated the whole garrison. 
Mules were slaughtered, and the meat issued on the 
29th or 30th of June; the peas were issued whole and 




FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


77 


also ground into meal. Those sick in camp and hospi¬ 
tal were fed by their comrades upon rats, daintly served 
up as squirrels. In the pea diet there were some draw¬ 
backs ; the peas were stored in bulk on the floor of the 
church, and the concussion of the bombardment had 
broken in every pane of glass in the building. This, in 
comminuted form, was mingled with the peas ; and it 
was no unusual incident to be made painfully aware of 
its presence in masticating the peas. There were some 
among the garrison who could not stomach the 'mule, 
and, to satisfy these, an unexpected discovery was made 
of sixty barrels of corn beef. Some wonder was ex¬ 
pressed as to this windfall, but it was accepted, eaten in 
good faith and pronounced excellent. It was not until 
after the surrender that those who ate it knew that it 
was carefully corned mule. 

The ammunition, although it had been economized, 
was so nearly fired away that another general assault 
would have exhausted the supply. Nearly every can¬ 
non on the land fortifications had been disabled, and in 
the river batteries there remained but nine or ten fit for 
use. 

On the first day of the siege there were 5,500 men 
at the breastworks; some 600 had been killed and 
wounded; many had died of disease, and at least 2,000 
were suffering from camp-fever and diarrhoea, many 
of them being unable, under any emergency, to fire a 
musket. 

This was the situation when, on the 7th of July, salutes 
from the enemy’s batteries and fleet, and continued cheer¬ 
ing all along their lines, announced some great event. 
The lines were so close that the garrison was not long 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


78 

kept in ignorance that Vicksburg had fallen. That night 
Gen. Gardner summoned a council of war, consisting of 
Gen. Beale, Cols. Steadman, Miles, Lyle and Shelby, and 
Lieut.-Col. Marshal J. Smith. They decided unanimously 
that it was impossible to hold out longer, inasmuch as 
the provisions were nearly exhausted; of ammunition 
there remained but twenty rounds per man, with a small 
supply for the artillery; and a large proportion of the 
garrison were sick or, from exhaustion, unfit for duty. 
A communication was at once sent to Gen. Banks, stat¬ 
ing what had been heard in regard to the fall of Vicks¬ 
burg, asking for official information and notifying him 
that, if the report was true, Gen. Gardner was ready to 
negotiate for terms of surrender. Gen. Banks’ reply, en¬ 
closing a despatch from Gen. Grant, announcing the fall 
of Vicksburg, was received before day. Gen. Gardner at 
once appointed Cols. Miles and Steadman and Lieut.-Col. 
Smith commissioners to arrange terms of surrender. To 
represent the Federals, Gen Banks appointed Brig.-Gen. 
Chas. P. Stone, Brig.-Gen. Wm. Dwight and Col. Henry 
M. Birge. The following terms were drawn up and 
signed:— 

Article /.—Maj.-Gen. Frank Gardner surrenders to the 
United States forces, under Maj.-Gen. Banks, the place 
of Port Hudson and its dependencies, with its garrison, 
armaments, munitions, public funds and materials of war, 
in the condition, as nearly as may be, in which they were 
at the hour of the cessation of hostilities, namely, 6 
o’clock, A. M., July 8, 1863. 

Article II .—The surrender stipulated in Article I is 
qualified by no condition save that the officers and en¬ 
listed men comprising the garrison shall receive the 




FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


79 


treatment due to prisoners of war according to the 
usages of civilized warfare. 

Article III .—All private property of officers and en¬ 
listed men shall be respected, and left to the respective 
owners. 

Article IV —The position of Port Hudson shall be 
occupied to-morrow at y o’clock, a. m., by the forces of 
the United States, and its garrison received as prisoners 
of war by such general officers of the United States ser¬ 
vice as may be designated by Gen. Banks with the ordi¬ 
nary formalities of rendition. The Confederate troops 
will be drawn up in line, officers in their positions, the 
right of the line resting on the edges of the prairie south 
of the railroad depot, the left extending in the direction 
of the village of Port Hudson. The arms and colors 
will be conveniently piled, and will be received by the 
officers of the United States. 

Article V .—The sick and wounded of the garrison will 
be cared for by the authorities of the United States, as¬ 
sisted, if desired by either party, by the medical officers 
of the garrison. 

Chas. P. Stone, Brig-Gen. U. S. A. 

W. N. Miles, Col. Com. Right Wing, C. S. A. 

Wm. Dwight, Brig.-Gen., U. S . A. 

I. G. W. Steadman, Col. Com. Left Wing, C. S. A. 

Marshal J. Smith, Lt.-Col. & Chief of Art., C. S. A. 

Henry W. Birge, 

Col. Com. 5th Brig., Grover s Div., U. S. A. 

Approved, 

N. P. Banks, Maj.-Gen. 

Approved, 

Frank Gardner, Maj.-Gen. 


So 


HISTORY OF CO. K t 


On the morning of the 9th, the garrison was formed in 
line and two officers were sent, by Gen. Gardner, to con¬ 
duct in the Federal officer deputed to receive the sur¬ 
render. This was Gen. Andrews, who entered the lines 
on the Clinton Road shortly after 7 o’clock. Gen. 
Gardner met him at the right of the line and delivered 
up his sword, saying, “ General, I will now formally sur¬ 
render my command to you, and for that purpose will 
give the command “ Ground arms.” Gen. Andrews 
replied, that he received Gen. Gardner’s sword, but 
returned it to him for having maintained his defence so 
gallantly. Meanwhile the Federal infantry moved in, and 
the wings resting on the river cut off any attempt to 
escape. A few officers and men, including Maj. Knox, of 
the First Alabama, concealed themselves near the outer 
lines, prior to the surrender, and the following night made 
their escape. There were, all told, 6,233 prisoners sur¬ 
rendered, but this included many non-effectives, such as 
teamsters, commissary, quartermaster and ordnance em¬ 
ployees. At no time were there more than 5,500 muskets 
at the works. There were also surrendered 5,000 stand 
of firearms and 51 pieces of artillery, the latter including 
a number of small cast-iron guns, not mounted, and a 
number of disabled guns. The small number of muskets 
surrendered is accounted for by the fact that many of the 
soldiers threw their guns into the river or broke them. 

The casualties in the First Alabama regiment during 
the siege were as follows : 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 81 


Co. A, Killed, 3, Wounded, 17, Died of disease, 4 


“ B, “ 

5 , 

U 

4 , 

a 

1 

“ C, “ 

3 » 

“ 

9 > 

a 

1 

“ D, 

6, 

a 

7 , 

n 

2 

“ E, “ 

4 > 

a 

6, 

u 

2 

“ F, “ 

12, 

“ 

6, 

“ 


“ G, “ 

5 , 

u 

9 » 

a 

1 

“ H, “ 

4 , 

a 

6, 

a 

1 

<< T (( 

2, 

u 


a 


“ K, “ 

4 * 

a 

*6, 

a 

4 

Total, 

48 


70 . 


16 


Co. K’s casualties were as follows : Lieut. Frank, Corp. 
Fergerson and Private Winslett killed May 27th; Private 
McCarty, killed June 23 ; Private Henry Smith, mortally 
wounded, May 27th, died July 10th; Lieut. Pratt and 
Private Josiah Tunnell, wounded May 28th; Private Clark, 
wounded May 10th, at Troth’s Landing; Private Hayes, 
wounded May 27th and Sergt. Williamson, wounded 
during the siege. Private Boon, died June 29th, of 
disease, Private Scott, July 3d, Private Mills, July 5th, 
Private Holston, July 6th. 

During the siege two or three private families remained 
in the town, but suffered no casualties excepting one acci¬ 
dental ; a boy having found an unexploded shell was 
playing with it when it burst, seriously wounding himself 
and mother. 


* One mortally. 


6 








CHAPTER VII. 


Experiences of paroled prisoners of war—a dis¬ 
organized REGIMENT-A HANDSOME TURNOUT- 

CLOSE QUARTERS-A FAITHFUL SERVANT-PRESENT, 

OR ACCOUNTED FOR—IN CAMP AT MERIDIAN. 

During the negotiations for the surrender, Gen. Banks 
refused to grant terms permitting the release of the pris¬ 
oners on parole, on the ground that orders from Wash¬ 
ington positively forbade it. On the day of surrender, 
however, he suddenly changed his mind and decided to 
parole all enlisted men, retaining the officers. Gen. Dick 
Taylor’s capture of Brashear City, and his nearly succes- 
ful attack on Donaldsonville, threatening communication 
with New Orleans, may have had some influence in caus¬ 
ing the change of purpose. Gen. Wirt Adams’ audacious 
dash into Springfield Landing and his destruction of a 
large amount of commissary supplies stored there, se¬ 
riously embarrassing the Federal commander in feeding 
his own troops, also made the paroling of the prisoners 
advisable. There is no doubt, however, that Gen. Banks 
was influenced by an honest admiration of the gallantry 
and fortitude of the garrison, and this was his avowed 
reason for paroling them. Blanks were at once printed, 
Private J. C. Rogers, of Co. K, acting as the printer, and 
on Saturday, July nth, the giving of the paroles began. 

The paroling of the First Alabama was completed 
Tuesday forenoon (the 14th), and in the afternoon the 
regiment, with the exception of those in the hospitals, 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 83 

bade farewell to their officers and marched out of the 
fortifications. Of Co. K, but one was left behind—James 
Herndon, who died a few days later. Altogether, about 
500 enlisted men of the garrison were left behind in the 
hospitals, sick and wounded. 

The regiment kept well together till they were fairly 
outside the enemy’s lines, and then, in the absence of 
the commissioned officers, all organization was at an 
end. About eight miles from Port Hudson the main 
body of the regiment encamped, but some of the men 
marched on, and all through the night squads were 
leaving. No attempt was made in the morning to keep 
the men together. Maj. Knox, who escaped, and who 
joined the regiment after it was outside Gen. Banks’ 
lines, rode forward to secure rations for the regiment, 
but failed, and we did not see him again till we reached 
Shubuta, where he made arrangements for our transpor¬ 
tation to Mobile. 

Most of Co. K, and of the First Alabama, took the 
direct road to Shubuta, a station on the Mobile and 
Ohio Railroad. At Clinton Privates J. H. Byrd and 
A. J. White went to the hospital, where both died on 
July 25th. 

The writer can only give the experiences of a party of 
eight, of which he was one, on the homeward trip, but 
all probably fared about alike. Our party consisted of 
Orderly Sergt. Cameron, Sergt. Fay, Corp. Blaylock, 
Privates Bledsoe, Hurd, Lamar and Smith and a youth 
named Dennis, who was with the company but not mus¬ 
tered in. On the second day after leaving Port Hudson, 
members of the squad purchased a horse, mule and Jer¬ 
sey wagon, with which to carry our baggage and sick. 






HISTOR Y OF CO. K, 


84 

The wagon had well-worn wooden axles which con¬ 
stantly broke; the horse was sore back and skeletonized, 
but the mule was a very fair animal. With this team we 
left Clinton on the morning of the 16th, but just before 
night halted for repairs, having made fifteen miles. On 
Friday, the 17th, after the wagon had been overhauled 
at the wayside smithy, we marched to Tangipahoa, eigh¬ 
teen miles. Two of the party, with the wagon, left early 
the next morning for Summit, Miss., while the others 
remained at Clinton till Sunday afternoon, and then took 
the train on the N. O. & J. Railroad, arriving at Summit 
at 9, p. m. So soon as we got off the Confederate cavalry 
burned the train, to prevent it falling into the hands of 
the enemy. The wagon detail arrived just before the 
train, having broken down on the road, necessitating 
the making of two axles. On Monday morning we 
started due east for Monticello, and camped after march¬ 
ing twenty-two miles. At 11, a. m., Tuesday, we reached 
Monticello, where we found Gen. Logan’s command (Con¬ 
federate) crossing Pearl river. At Tangipahoa we drew 
rations, and at Monticello Gen. Logan’s commissary hon¬ 
ored Sergt. Cameron’s requisition. From Monticello we 
took the Williamsburg road through the piney woods, 
scoring for the day twenty-one and one-half miles. Now 
began daily skirmishes for something to eat, as those who 
were ahead of us had cleaned the section adjoining the 
road like a cloud of locusts—there was little left to beg, 
buy or steal. On Wednesday we scored nineteen and 
one-half miles, dining, for a consideration, with a probate 
judge. A shower coming up, we stopped at dusk one 
mile west of Williamsburg at a log cabin—one room and 
a shed. The family consisted of a man, his wife, two 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


85 

sons and two daughters. The paroled soldiers who had 
been passing for two days had nearly drained them of 
everything, but they treated us very cordially, gave us 
supper and breakfast of cornbread and bacon, and spread 
us a pallet of quilts across the floor in front of the fire. 
With difficulty could they be induced to accept even a 
trifling compensation. In addition to our party of eight, 
there were three other soldiers. The lady (poor and ig¬ 
norant, she was a lady) occupied the shed room with her 
two daughters, while the host, his two sons and eleven 
guests slept in the main room. It was our experience all 

I along the route that, while there was no cause of com¬ 
plaint against any, the poor were the more hospitable. 
Friday night our party went supperless to our blankets 
in a roadside camp. 

Saturday afternoon we arrived at Shubuta, where we 
found collected a large number of the paroled prisoners 
awaiting transportation. It was about midnight when the 
train going south came along. As it was already full to 
overflowing, those at Shubuta had to climb to the second 
deck and take passage upon the roofs of the freight cars. 
It was a ticklish position, but we lay down, secured our¬ 
selves as best we could and went to sleep. At 9, a. m., 
Sunday, the train arrived at Mobile, and the smoke and 
dust begrimed deck passengers of Co. K wandered down 
to the river and performed ablutions in rain water col¬ 
lected in a lot of iron salt-boilers lying on the wharf. At 
1, p. m., we took the train for Montgomery, whence the 
members of Co. K soon made their way home. 

As illustrating the faithfulness of the negro, it is worthy 

! of record that Lamar’s colored boy Floyd, who was with 
him at Port Hudson, and who soon after the surrender 




HIS TOR Y OF CO. K, 


86 

was missing, was awaiting his master with a horse at 
Washington Landing. He had got into a fight with a 
Federal negro soldier, knocked him down and then fled, 
fearing that he would be conscripted into the Federal 
army, and had made his way home. 

John Tarleton died on his way home, near Monticello. 

Seven men, Jesse Adams, M. Deno,- Haley, M. 

Hern,-Merritt, J. Schein and J. Shoals never after¬ 

wards reported to the company : Jesse Adams was known 
to have made his way to Mobile. 

The other members of Co. K succeeded in getting to 
their homes, where they remained, enjoying a well earned 
furlough, until Oct. 12, 1863, when the First Alabama 
was ordered to report at Cahawba, Ala. 

Of Co. K, according to such imperfect records as the 
writer has at his command, the following men reported at 
Cahawba, or soon after at Meridian, Miss.: Orderly 
Sergeant, Norman Cameron, J. L. Alexander, E. L. Aver- 
heart, O. M. Blaylock, J. Boggan, T. M. Boggan, G. R. 
Bledsoe, C. W. Brown, Wm. Douglass, Wm. Dubose, 
George M. Durden, J. Durden, W. L. Ellis, W. H. Fay, 
W. Farmer, Henry Fralick, P. G. Golsan, John Gorman, 
John Griffin, J. Hamilton, J. C. Hearn, G. W. Hearn, E. 
Hearn, Joseph Hurd, W. H. Hutchinson, E. Jenkins, J. 
Killough, V. Kirkpatrick, M. D. Lamar, E. Leysath, J. 
Lewis, G. F. Martin, J. W. May, Wm. Moncrief, J. Owens, 
James D. Rice, Junius Robinson, C. H. Royals, G. H, 
Royals, E. T. Sears, J. H. Shaver, J. L. Simpson, D. P. 
Smith, A. C. Smyth, A. J. Thompson, John S. Tunnell, 
Josiah Tunnell, Wm. Vaughn, John Williamson and T. 
A. Wilson. J. J. Stuart and J. P. Tharp reported not very 
long after, and R. H. Kirkpatrick was received as a 




FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 87 

recruit, total 53. There were absent at the hospitals or 
invalided: R. H. Callens, at Selma, and J. Hays, at Mont¬ 
gomery, both of whom soon after died ; S. Glenn, J. C. 
Rogers, B. L. Scott and F. Wilkins all of whom soon after 
received discharges for disability. Clark had been trans¬ 
ferred to the navy during the summer. 

The officers of Co. K, Capt. Whitfield and Lieuts. Pratt, 
Tuttle and Adams, were taken by boat to New Orleans, 
and quartered on Rampart street. Here they remained 
till Sept. 20th. They were then transferred to Johnson’s 
Island, Lake Erie, where they arrived on Oct. 1, 1863. 
Lieut. Adams was exchanged in the spring of 1864, re¬ 
joining his company in May. Lieut. Pratt was paroled 
Sept. 16, 1864. Capt. Whitfield and Lieut. Tuttle re¬ 
mained at Johnson’s Island till the close of the war. 

Of the regiment 610 enlisted men reported at the Parole 
Camp, and about 100 were absent, sick or unaccounted 
for. Of the regimental officers Maj. Knox was the only 
one present, the others being at Johnson’s Island. There 
were about a dozen company officers present; each com¬ 
pany, with the exception of K, having one or more 
representatives. 

On Nov. 10th the regiment arrived at Meridian, Miss., 
having been assigned to Polk’s Corps, Army of the Mis¬ 
sissippi, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, commanding. Some 
of the non-commissioned officers of Co. K having re¬ 
quested to be restored to the ranks, the following re¬ 
organization was ordered: O. Sergt., Norman Cameron, 
2d Sergt., Wm. H. Fay, 3d Sergt., C. Hardie Royals, 4th 
Sergt., M. D. Lamar, 5th Sergt., D. P. Smith, Corporals, 
E. L. Averhart, O. M. Blaylock, G. Hearn and J. D. Rice. 

Lieut. Haley of Co. G was assigned to the command 


88 


HIS TOR V OF CO. K, 


of Co. K, but was in a few weeks replaced by Lieut. 
Johnson, of Co. F. 

The regiment was armed with new Austrian rifles, and 
the old routine of drill was once more resumed. Co. K 
made rapid progress and was complimented by Maj. 
Knox, by being excused from evening drill after Nov. 
26th on account of its proficiency. 

On Nov. 25th the regiment received two months’ pay 
to April 30th, and on Dec. 4th, was paid to Oct. 31st, with 
all arrearages, including $50 bounty and commutation for 
clothing; about $125,000 was disbursed to the regiment 
at this time. A limited amount of clothing was also 
issued, and some shoes, but the latter were scarce, only 
15 pairs to the regiment. Rations were of good quality, 
and much more plentiful than ever afterwards, consisting 
of corn meal and a little flour, beef, bacon, sweet potatoes, 
salt, vinegar and soap. Early in November orders were 
issued to build log barracks for winter quarters, 18 by 22 
feet each designed for 25 men. 

The regiment had been declared exchanged on Oct. 
16th, but it was soon known in camp that the Federals 
had denied the validity of the exchange, disputes having 
arisen in regard to the cartel. In camp the subject was 
discussed with much interest, especially the question what 
would be our fate if recaptured by the enemy. Political 
questions of the day now crept into our camp fire discus¬ 
sions, especially the acts of the Confederate Congress 
relative to the army. The act restricting furloughs and 
other privileges and offering in lieu thereof increased pay, 
also the act forcing men who had put in substitutes to 
report for duty were subjects of debate, and the former 
was bitterly denounced. 




CHAPTER VIII. 


Return of co. k to active duty—arrival at mobile— 

A FLOODED CAMP—SHORT OF AMMUNITION-AT FORT 

GAINES-FISHERMEN’S SPOILS—GOING TO SCHOOL — 

A SPY IN CAMP-IN NORTH GEORGIA. 

The First Alabama Regiment was not required to do 
other duty than camp guard and drill until about the 1st 
of December; three companies of the regiment were 
then sent down the Mobile and Ohio Railroad to guard 
the bridges, and heavy details were made from the re¬ 
maining companies—about 125 men daily—for provost 
duty at Meridian. This made it necessary for the men 
to go on duty every other day, and put an end to drilling. 
It was very severe on the few commissioned officers 
present, and their complaints finally led to the regiment 
being relieved of a portion of the burden. 

December passed without any event of particular inter¬ 
est. On January 21, 1864, Cos. C, H and K were ordered 
to Jackson, Miss., and on the following morning took the 
cars, arriving at Jackson on the 23d. We went into 
camp on the east bank of Pearl River, opposite the city. 
Co K had 33 men present for work. Shovels and picks 
were issued, guns stacked, and on Sunday morning, the 
24th, the detail began grading a road down the bluff. 
The railroad bridge burned in the spring of 1863, not 
having been rebuilt, the intention was to make a road, 
so that locomotives and cars—of which there were a con¬ 
siderable number west of Pearl River—could be ferried 


go 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


across the river. The bluff being a hard clay marl, the 
progress was slow. 

On February 3d, Gen. Sherman advanced from Vicks¬ 
burg with 30,000 men and 60 pieces of artillery. On the 
4th orders were issued to the three companies of the 
First Alabama to cook up three days’ rations, and they 
were attached to the Tenth Texas Regiment, Ector’s Bri¬ 
gade, French’s Division. 

As the Federals entered Jackson at sundown on the 
5th, the Confederates evacuated the town and took the 
road to Brandon. The pontoon bridge was cut loose 
and floated down the river. After marching twelve 
miles, we halted till 4 a. m., when the retreat was re¬ 
sumed. Passing through Brandon at sunrise, the batta¬ 
lion took the road to Morton, where, on Sunday after¬ 
noon, we took the cars for Meridian, arriving during the 
night. The three companies stationed on the Mobile 
and Ohio Railroad proceeded to Mobile without rejoin¬ 
ing the regiment, but the other companies remained at 
Meridian until the 14th, except the sick, who were sent 
with the regimental baggage to Demopolis by train on 
the 12th. When Meridian was evacuated, on the 14th, 
the First Alabama, owing to its excellent morale and 
discipline, was selected to form the rear guard of the re¬ 
treating army. They marched to the Tombigbee River, 
where the First Alabama took the boat for Mobile, ar¬ 
riving on the 19th or 20th of February. Here the three 
detached companies from the Mobile and Ohio Rail¬ 
road rejoined the command, and the regiment was, on 
the 22d, sent to the land defences and given charge of 
seven of the outer redans or forts. In two only of these 
were guns mounted, and nearly all were incomplete. It 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


9' 


was thought that Mobile was Sherman’s objective point, 
and a large force of negroes was at work on the outer 
line of fortifications, the inner lines being complete. 
Drilling, both in the heavy artillery and infantry school, 
was at once resumed. Co. K was stationed at Redan E, 
which was but just commenced. We remained here till 
March 8th, when the danger of an attack from Sherman 
having disappeared, the regiment was withdrawn from 
the lines and encamped on an open square on Govern¬ 
ment Street. The day following there was a heavy rain 
which flooded the camp, and portions of Government 
Street were knee-deep in water. In the tents the men 
piled their knapsacks and blankets on benches and such 
other articles of camp furniture as would keep them 
above water. 

Orders were received on Sunday, March 13th, to cook 
up two days’ rations, and. to be ready to march at 9, a. m., 
on Monday, for Alabama Port. It was 3, p. m., when the 
regiment moved, and only nine miles were scored; but 
on the following day a march of twenty miles brought us 
to our destination. The Twenty-first Alabama was re¬ 
lieved, and on Wednesday started for Mobile. Two com¬ 
panies of the First Alabama were sent to Cedar Point to 
man the batteries there, while the others did picket duty 
along the coast and on Fowl River. The camp was on 
the bay in a pine grove. The men were furnished with 
tents, and were soon comfortably quartered. An abund¬ 
ance of oysters could be had by dredging for them, 
while at several of the picket posts the men could feast 
on bivalves all day. Under such circumstances, the duty 
imposed on the regiment was not regarded as onerous. 

On the 25th of March four companies of the regiment 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


92 

were ordered down the coast to repel a raid of the enemy. 
It was necessary to collect all the cartridges from the 
remaining four companies to fill the boxes of those 
ordered away, as only twenty rounds per man had been 
issued to the regiment since its return to duty, and there 
was not a round in the ordnance wagon. Considering 
that the regiment had been acting as rearguard of Polk’s 
army, and had been sent down the bay to do picket duty, 
it was a remarkable state of affairs. The alarm proved a 
false one, and the detachment returned. On the 26th 
two companies were sent to Fort Powell ; and on the 
27th another company was ordered to Cedar Point, 
making three at that post. Co. K'remained at Alabama 
Port. Lieut. Johnson, who had for sometime been in 
command of Co. K, was, on the 27th, relieved by order 
of Maj. Knox, by Lieut. Jones, of Co. I ; this caused 
great dissatisfaction, as the latter was not liked. In 
a few days, however, he was furloughed, and Lieut. 
Crymes, of Co. I, a most gallant and popular gentleman, 
was placed in command. On the 1st of April our rations 
were increased—the meat from 1 y pounds per day to 
ij^, and the bacon from of a pound to y 2 pound. 
The battalion of the regiment at Alabama Port was 
ordered, on the morning of April 5th, to strike tents, and 
at 8, A. m. started for Cedar Point, where a boat was in 
waiting to convey seven companies of the regiment to 
Fort Gaines, Dauphin Island, three being left at Fort 
Powell and Cedar Point. Only one-half of the men could 
be carried at one trip, and it was after dark when the 
second boat-load was landed. In the allotment of the 
guns of the fort to the regiment, Co. K fared badly; for 
though it was one of the four companies that served as 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


93 


heavy artillery at Port Hudson, and the only company 
that served exclusively as such during the siege, yet it 
was sent to the flanking casemates, while green com¬ 
panies were sent to the barbette guns. The Thirtieth 
Louisiana Regiment was on duty at the fort on alternate 
days with the first Alabama, but two companies of the 
First were sent into the fort every night to man the guns. 
About the only relief from the monotony of guard duty 
was the arrival of blockade runners, one or two of which 
came in each week. They would slip in quietly at night, 
and in the morning their low grey hulls could be seen 
lying under the guns of Fort Morgan. 

On the 16th of April a scouting party of ioo men 
landed from the enemy’s fleet on the western end of 
Dauphin Island, but were driven to their boats by a 
picket guard of ten men. The only other incident of our 
stay at Fort Gaines was on April 20th, when the C. S. 
gunboat “ Gaines ” ran out near Fort Morgan to practice 
with her guns. About the same time a Federal war ship 
began shelling a working party throwing up a battery 
near Fort Morgan. The men crowded the ramparts in 
the expectation of seeing a general engagement, as 
rumors had been in circulation for some time that Fort 
Morgan was to be bombarded; but quiet was soon 
restored. Co. I rejoined the regiment from Cedar Point 
on the 20th. 

Fishing constituted the chief amusement of the men, 
and they met with great success. There was a large 
seine on the island, and with this wagon loads of fish 
were caught; but those of the best quality were brought 
in by the hook and line sportsmen— redfish, croakers, 
sea bass, blue cat, sand mullet, drum and sheepshead 






94 


HIS TOR Y OF CO. K, 


being on their strings. The seine was a dragnet for all 
kinds of monsters. On one occasion a sawfish 12 feet 
io inches long, and weighing 338 pounds, was caught; 
the sword or saw was 2 feet 10 inches in length and from 
4 to 6 inches broad. On another occasion an immense 
sturgeon was hauled in ; while among the smaller fry 
were sting rays, horseshoe crabs, sea nettles, sea porcu¬ 
pines and a variety of other curiosities. Porpoises were 
gamboling in the bay nearly all the time, and in the 
lagoons on the island were alligators. 

May 3d, the regiment embarked on the steamboat 
“ C. W. Durrance ” for Mobile, where it was quartered 
in the State Press Warehouse. Co. I was sent to Dog 
River on the 4th, and on the 5th the other companies 
went to Pollard, Ala. Co. K was immediately ordered 
back to Hall’s Landing on Tensas River, where it 
arrived- on the 7th. Co. C was ordered to Greenville, 
and two companies were ordered to do picket duty on 
the railroad to Pensacola. The camp of Co. K was 
about one mile from Hall’s Landing, and there it re¬ 
mained for two weeks. Lieut. Adams, who had been 
exchanged, joined the company about May 20th. On 
May 16th a number of officers and men were detailed 
from the regiment to attend an artillery school in Mobile. 
Of Co. K, Sergts. Cameron, Fay and Smith were selected. 
They reported, but before the school was fairly organized 
the regiment was ordered to North Georgia. The bill of 
fare at the school is worthy of preservation :—Breakfast, 
rye coffee and corn bread (of unsifted meal); dinner, 
corn bread and boiled bacon, except on three days out 
of ten, when molasses was issued in lieu of bacon ; supper, 
corn bread and rice boiled in the pot liquor left at noon. 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


95 


The order of exercises at the school was as follows :— 
Reveille, 5 a. m. ; police, 5.10; drill in infantry and 
artillery, 5.30 to 6.30; breakfast, 7; guard mounting, 
7.45 ; studies and recitations, 8 to 12 m.; dinner, 1 p. m. ; 
studies and recitations, 2 to 4.30 ; infantry and artillery 
drill, 5 to 6; police, 6.10; dress parade, 6.30; supper, 7; 
tattoo, 9; taps, 9.3c. 

The detail rejoined the company on the 23d, and on 
the 24th the command took the cars for Montgomery; 
the other companies started a day or two earlier. During 
the six months that had elapsed since the company re¬ 
assembled it had lost a number of its members. W. H. 
Hutchinson had been transferred to the cavalry, Wm. 
Douglass, E. Jenkins and Henry Fralick to the navy, 
and, as previously mentioned, Callens and Hays had died. 
While at Mobile and en route to North Georgia, the fol¬ 
lowing recruits joined the company: A. D. Ellis, Au¬ 
tauga Co., February, 1864; - Harvey, March, 1864; 

George W. Gibbons, D. E. Holt and G. W. Hunt, Au¬ 
tauga Co., May, 1864. In June, while in North Georgia, 
the following recruits joined the company: A. G. Gresham, 
N. Landers, W. M. Trammel, of Tallapoosa Co., and 
Isaac Ward, Montgomery Co. Harvey, who joined the 
company at Mobile to avoid being conscripted, deserted 
before we left there. The writer called the attention of 
the officer in command of the company to the suspicious 
character of the man on the day that he enlisted, but there 
was nothing on which to base charges, and no notice was' 
taken of the warning. Subsequent events demonstrated 
the correctness of the suspicion that he was a spy. He 
stated that he had been employed in the Mobile navy 
yard, and he was evidently familiar with the construction 









9 6 


Z/fS TOR V OR CO. K, 


of the ram “ Tennessee/’ as, in conversation, he explained 
how she could be disabled. The rudder-chains, he said, 
lay along the deck, protected only by a cast-iron shield, 
and they could easily be shot away. A few months later 
the “ Tennessee ” was disabled in precisely the way he 
predicted. Whether he conveyed to the enemy the in¬ 
formation of this weakness of an otherwise powerful 
vessel is a matter of conjecture, but it is certainly a sin¬ 
gular coincidence. 

The strength of Co. K at the beginning of the Ten¬ 
nessee campaign, including the new recruits, was probably 
about 62 men, of whom perhaps 40 were present for 
duty. Lieut. N. K. Adams was in command. 

The company arrived at Montgomery on the morning 
of the 25th. A number of them who lived in Autauga 
County received twelve hours’ furlough. The company 
left Montgomery on the morning of the 26th, and re¬ 
joined the regiment at New Hope Church, Saturday 
morning, May 28th. Knapsacks and other impedimenta , 
with the exception of blankets, were left in Montgomery. 




CHAPTER IX. 


In NORTH GEORGIA WITH JOHNSTON AND HOOD-RETREAT 

TO KENNESAW-A GALLANT DEED-HOOD’S NEW 

POLICY-DEFENDING ATLANTA-THE VALLEY OF 

DEATH-THE GALLANT FIRST-FATE OF THE WOUNDED 

-DEATH OF SERGT. FAY—ELECTING A LIEUTENANT- 

EVACUATION OF ATLANTA-AT LOVEJOY’s STATION. 

The First Alabama Regiment, on its arrival in North 
^Georgia, was attached to Canty’s Brigade, but was soon 
transferred to Quarles’ Brigade (Tennessee troops), Walt¬ 
hall’s Division, Polk’s Corps. The regiment, excepting 
Co. K, arrived in time to take part in the battle of New 
Hope Church, on the 25th of May. When Co. K re¬ 
ported, on the 28th, active skirmishing was in progress 
along the entire line of Polk’s Corps, and during the next 
few days the regiment lost a number of men, among them 
being the Assistant Surgeon, Dr. Winnemore, who had 
an eye shot out. To June 2d the loss was three killed 
and eight wounded in the regiment. 

On the night of June 1st the regiment was withdrawn 
from the front to the reserve line, and on the following 
night the New Hope line was abandoned. For several 
days it had rained heavily, and the clay roads were badly 
cut up. At 10, p. m., the regiment moved into the road 
immediately in the rear of the artillery and wagon-train. 
Every few hundred yards the wagons or guns would 
stick in the mud, and the infantry would be brought to a 
halt; but no opportunity was thus given for rest, as the 


7 




HISTOR Y OF CO. K, 


V8 

road was liquid mud, and not even the musket could be 
brought to an “ order.” A drizzling rain added to the 
discomfort of the men. At daylight on the morning of 
the 3d we halted near the foot of Lost Mountain, having 
marched five miles in seven hours. Fires were kindled, 
a ration of whiskey distributed, and the men were allowed 
to rest till after 12, noon, when the regiment was placed 
in position. Breastworks were, as usual, at once con¬ 
structed. Privates A. D. Ellis, W. L. Ellis, John Griffin, 
Joseph Hurd and John Williamson were detailed at this 
time, with others of the regiment, to act, till further 
orders, as sharpshooters. From Lost Mountain the 
regiment moved to Pine Mountain, where it remained till 
June 18th. Daily rains made life in the trenches almost 
unendurable, and there was considerable sickness. Gen. 
Johnston did all he could to alleviate the discomforts of 
the soldiers ; abundant rations of corn-bread were issued, 
and occasionally a little genuine coffee. Meat was scarce 
and of flour there was none. 

On the night of the 18th of June the army fell back to 
the Kennesaw line of defence, and on the 19th entrenched. 
This night’s march, like that of the retreat from New 
Hope, was one long to be remembered. The road was 
ankle deep in mud and water, with occasional holes waist- 
deep, full of thin mud. Into these the soldiers would 
frequently stumble, requiring their comrades’ help to get 
out. During the early part of the night there were 
showers, and early next morning, as the soldiers filed up 
the steep wooded slopes of Kennesaw, a heavy fog satu¬ 
rated their clothing. By 10, A. M., a line of works had 
been completed, and Co. K was then ordered to assist in 
dragging two pieces of artillery to the top of Kennesaw. 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


99 


The detail of sharpshooters was at the foot of the moun¬ 
tain, and was soon actively engaged skirmishing. On 
the 20th the line was under a terrific artillery fire, and 
A. D. Ellis, of Co. K, was seriously wounded by a frag¬ 
ment of shell. He rejoined the company at Tuscumbia. 
While stationed on Kennesaw, Sergt. Cameron performed 
a notable act of bravery; during a heavy artillery fire a 
shrapnel shell fell in the entrenchments amidst Co. K. 
Sergt. Cameron, without an instant’s hesitation, seized the 
smoking missile and hurled it outside the works ere it 
exploded. 

In the severe battle of June 27th, when Sherman at¬ 
tempted to break the Confederate lines, the enemy charged 
into the rifle-pits of Quarles’ brigade, but were repulsed. 
Though under fire, the First Alabama was not closely 
engaged in this battle; its loss was trifling, and in Co. 
K there were no casualties. While on Kennesaw, Assist¬ 
ant-Surgeon Madding,, of the First Alabama, was killed 
by a sharpshooter. 

On the night of July 2d Gen. Johnston fell back from 
Kennesaw to the line south of Marietta. A portion of Co. 
K was on picket, but overtook the regiment without losing 
a man. Sherman followed close in pursuit, and when 
the new position was reached, no time was lost in en¬ 
trenching. In less than thirty minutes from the time the 
First Alabama halted, the men had constructed tempo¬ 
rary breastworks and were ready and eager for the fray. 
Sherman, however, finding Johnston prepared, contented 
himself with shelling our lines. The fire of the enemy’s 
sharpshooters was very annoying, and on the 4th, Corp. 
James D. Rice was wounded by them. He rejoined the 
company prior to the Tennessee campaign. 






IOO 


HISTOR V OF CO. K, 


About 9 p. m. on the night of the 4th, the army again 
retreated, the new line being that of the Chattahoochie 
River. Breastworks were again constructed, and here 
the regiment remained till another flank movement by 
Sherman compelled Gen. Johnston, on the 9th, to cross 
the river. The regiment was stationed on the line south 
of Peach Tree Creek. While here, Lieut. Adams was 
transferred to the Navy Department, Richmond ; and an 
election in the company, held by order of Maj. Knox, 
resulted in the choice of Galvin Golsan as Second Lieu¬ 
tenant, Jr. Orderly-Sergt. Cameron was also brevetted 
First Lieutenant for gallantry, and,pending Lieut.Golsan’s 
examination for a commission, was placed in command, 
of the company. 

Gen. Hood took command of the army on July 19th. 
By five o’clock on the morning of the 20th the sound of 
musketry on the right announced the inauguration of the 
new policy of aggressive instead of defensive warfare. 
The regiment was at this time deployed as skirmishers 
on Peach Tree Creek, three-quarters of a mile in front of 
the works. Orders were received to retire as skir¬ 
mishers, and assemble on the main line. This was done 
under a heavy artillery fire, in good order. The brigade 
having, in the meantime, moved to the right, the regi¬ 
ment followed at a double quick, overtaking it in position 
on the reserve line immediately in the rear of the heaviest 
fighting. No call was made on the reserve, and at the 
close of the day the regiment returned to its former 
position, but was marching and countermarching all that 
night and the following day. On the night of the 21st 
the regiment was withdrawn to Atlanta, and placed on 
picket. Private Tharp was missing on the arrival of the 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


IOI 


company at its new post, and was not again heard from. 

The usual work of entrenching was immediately begun, 
and in three hours everything was ready for an attack. 
Late on the afternoon of the 22d the regiment was 
ordered to the right to storm a twelve-gun battery; but 
Hood’s attack had failed, and the order was counter¬ 
manded when the regiment was in position. It bivouacked 
there for the night, and on the following morning re¬ 
turned to its former position. Here it remained till 
July 27, when it was withdrawn 300 yards to the rear for 
rest. The same evening, however, the regiment was 
ordered to fall in, with blankets rolled, ready for march¬ 
ing, and it remained in line all night awaiting further 
orders. It rained gently through the night, but when 
I morning came the clouds disappeared, and the sun rose 
bright and clear—for the last time for many of the brave 
j men of the First Alabama. 

About 10, A. m., came the command, “Attention!” 
“ Right face ! ” “ Forward, march ! ” After marching 
two or three miles, the command was halted till about 3, 
p. m., when it was again ordered forward. Soon the 
sound of musketry announced that a battle was in pro¬ 
gress immediately in front. Hood, with Stewart’s and 
Lee’s corps, was attempting to break through the enemy’s 
line near the Lickskillet, or Poorhouse Road. Gen. 
Quarles at once placed his brigade in line of battle—the 
First Alabama on the left, Co. K to the left of the color 
company—Brevet-Lieut. Cameron in command, Lieut. 
Golsan, who had not yet received his commission, accom¬ 
panying him. In a few minutes the brigade was under 
fire, and, pressing forward, passed over Canty’s brigade, 
which was lying down, and, crossing a rail fence, charged 






102 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


down a slope— 

“ Into the jaws of death, 

Into the mouth of hell.” 

No sooner had they reached the foot of the hill, 
crossed a small run or brook and begun to ascend the 
opposite side, than a withering flanking fire swept down 
their ranks; while from the works in front, half way up 
the ascent and hidden in the edge of the woods, streamed 
forth a constant blaze of musketry, while shots from the 
artillery pierced the bank of smoke like flashes of light¬ 
ning. Still the men made no halt, but, with heads bent 
down as though breasting the cyclone, pressed onward, 
till Gen. Quarles, seeing that none could survive to 
reach the enemy’s lines, gave the order to halt and 
fall back to the run, now red with blood, where a 
slight cover was afforded. They were within fifty yards 
of the enemy when halted, and a gallant soldier of 
another command was buried by the enemy where he 
fell just outside their works, and his grave, carefully pro¬ 
tected, was marked by them with a tribute to his bravery. 
The charge was made over open ground, while the 
enemy were wholly concealed in the woods and behind 
a breastwork constructed of a rail fence and rock piled 
up. Lieut. Golsan fell early in the fight, and Lieut. 
Cameron just before reaching the run at the foot of the 
hill. Both were cheering on the men when stricken 
down. Co. K lost 19 men killed and wounded out of 32 
engaged, the casualties being as follows:— 

Killed—Brev. First Lieut. Norman Cameron ; Junior 
Second Lieut. Galvin Golsan ; Privates William Dubose 
and John Owens : total, 4. 




FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT\ ioj 

Mortally wounded—Privates A. C. Smyth, J. J. Stuart, 
and A. J. Thompson : total, 3. 

Seriously wounded—Sergt. M. D. Lamar; Privates 
John Boggan, George Durden, E. Leysath, J. L. Simpson 
and John Williamson : total, 6. 

Severely wounded—Corpls. E. L. Averheart and O. 
M. Blaylock; Private C. B. Brown: total, 3. 

Slightly wounded (not sent to hospital)—Privates J. C. 

; Hearn, John Tunnell and J. H. Shaver: total, 3. 

Of the regiment, 171 men, out of 325 present, were 
killed and wounded, including 13 color-bearers. It was 
not till about dark that the shattered remnant of the First 
Alabama was withdrawn. The names of those of Co. K 
who escaped unharmed from this terrible gorge are, to 
the best of the writer’s knowledge—Sergt. W. H. Fay ; 
Corp. G. W. Hearn; Privates T. M. Boggan, W. L. 
Ellis, W. W. Day, John Griffin, Joseph Hurd, G. W. 
Hunt, R. H. Kirkpatrick, John Killough, Joseph May, 
Eli T. Sears and Josiah Tunnell. 

Of the wounded, Privates Smyth and Thomson lived 
till they reached the hospital at Griffin, where both died. 

'There is some uncertainty in regard to J. J. Stuart’s fate, 
several members of the company asserting positively that 
he was mortally wounded in this battle, and died in 
hospital; others, having equally good opportunities of 
knowing the facts, being ignorant of his fate; and some 
asserting that he was not present. His name does not 
appear in a memoranda of the killed and wounded made 
about ten days after the battle by the writer, who was 
himself in Montgomery, Ala., at the time. Sergt. Lamar 
received a bullet in the hip and was never able to return 




io4 


rnsroR v of co. a: 


to duty. Private Williamson received a bullet in the 
shoulder, a second in the thigh, while a third chipped a 
piece off of a front tooth. He, too, was permanently 
disabled, as were Durden, Leysath and Simpson. The 
others soon recovered of their wounds. For some days 
doubt existed as to Lieut. Cameron’s death, but the v 
lingering hope was dispelled by a member of another 
company, who saw him breathe his last. Lieut. Golsan’s 
body was carried a little distance to the rear by some of 
the company; but they had to leave him, and with the 
other dead he was buried by the enemy. There was no 
foundation whatever for the rumor, which reached his 
home, that he was not killed. 

Maj. Knox was seriously wounded, and the command 
of the regiment devolved upon Capt. Williams. Sergt. 
W. H. Fay was ordered to take command of Co. K. 
The brigade bivouacked for the night near the battle¬ 
field, and on the 29th returned to its former position on 
the defences, and the regiment resumed picket duty. 

While out on picket, August 3d, Co. K suffered 
another great loss. Private Farmer was slightly 
wounded, and expressing a desire for water, Sergt. Fay 
volunteered to get some at a neighboring well. He took 
several canteens, and succeeded in reaching the well in 
safety; but on his return, while crossing an exposed 
opening, a ball pierced his heart. He exclaimed, “ Oh, 
men! oh, men! ” walked about fifteen steps and sat 
down under the shade of a small tree; and as Sergt. 
Royals, who ran to his assistance, caught him in his 
arms, he struggled once or twice and died. Thus 
perished, in the glory of early Christian manhood, one 
of the pure and noble of earth. The company thus lost 


FIRS7' ALABAMA REGIMENT. 




105 


in less than one week two officers commanding, and 
one who had been elected to command—three noble, 
Christian men, Cameron, Golsan, and Fay. 

On the death of Sergt. Fay, Sergt. C. H. Royals took 
command, and held it till relieved by Lieut. Jones, of Co. 
I. Private G. F. Martin was slightly wounded on the 
4th. On the 12th of August Private D. E. Holt was 
severely wounded, a Minie ball passing through both 
thighs, but fortunately missing the larger blood-vessels 
and bones. He was taken to the hospital, where gan¬ 
grene getting into the wound, he narrowly escaped 
death, and was disabled from further service. 

An election for Junior Second Lieutenant was held on 
August 9th. John L. Alexander received 9 votes, and 
Djiniel P. Smith 10. Lieut. Smith soon after success¬ 
fully passed his examination for promotion, but did not 
receive his commission till September 7th. John L. 
Alexander was about this time made Orderly Sergeant. 
Corpls. Averheart and Hearn were promoted to ser- 
geantcies, and Josiah Tunnell and G. H. Royals were 
appointed corporals. 

While at Atlanta, those of the soldiers who had any 
money could purchase some few articles of luxury; rice 
could be bought for 75 cents per pound, and flour for 
50 cents per pound. The rations, as usual, consisted of 
corn bread and beef. 

On August 19th the regiment was ordered down the 
railroad to intercept a raid, but went into camp in the 
outskirts of Atlanta. Again, on the 21st, the regiment 
was sent three or four miles to the right of the Con¬ 
federate lines, where it constructed an abattis. The 
following day it was ordered back to its old position at 




io6 


//IS TOR Y OF CO. K, 


the breastworks near the Chattanooga Railroad. On the 
night of the 25th the Federals withdrew from around 
Atlanta, moving to the south; and on the morning of 
the 26th Gen. Stewart’s corps occupied the abandoned 
works. The First Alabama, with other troops, advanced 
to the Chattahoochie on a reconnaisance, without meet¬ 
ing the enemy. In the afternoon the regiment was with¬ 
drawn, and camped inside the city lines. Here we 
remained until the morning of the 31st, when we were 
ordered down the Macon Railroad towards East Point, 
some four or five miles. During the day the regiment 
was mustered for pay. Towards evening the command 
returned to Atlanta, camping beside the Macon Railroad. 
Early on the morning of Thursday, September 1, the 
First Alabama was sent out on the Poorhouse or Licks- 
killet road on picket, being stationed about half a mile 
from the battle-field of July 28th. Rations of hard tack, 
all that the men could carry, were here given out. Re¬ 
turning to the city (leaving the picket line at 10.45 p - M *)> 
we found it evacuated with the exception of the cavalry 
rear-guard. On an open square a huge pile of cotton was 
fiercely blazing, while down the Macon Railroad heavy 
explosions told of the destruction of an ammunition train 
abandoned through the negligence of the Chief Quarter¬ 
master. The First Alabama, which formed the infantry 
portion of the rear-guard, made no halt in the city, but 
took the road to McDonough, passing out of the city 
limits about I or 2 o’clock on the morning of the 2d. 
Except for brief intervals of rest, the march was continued 
till noon on the 2d, when the command deployed and 
built breastworks. Just as these were completed, orders 
were received to take the road again. At 10.45, p - M -> 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 107 

another halt was made, and the men were allowed to rest 
till 2.30, A. M., Saturday, when they were ordered into 
line, but no move was made till daylight About 3, p. m., 
a halt was made four or five miles from Lovejoy’s Station. 
Sunday morning, the 4th, the regiment marched four or 
five miles, and deployed in a piece of thick woods. 
Sharp firing could be heard in front, and occasionally a 
cannon ball went crashing through the trees; but the 
firing soon ceased, and the regiment went into camp. 

There were twenty-two men present in Co. K when 
the retreat from Atlanta began. Two or three, Private 
Hurd among the number, broke down on the march, and 
were sent to hospitals. Lieut. Jones, of Co. I, assigned 
to the command of Co. K, was left behind in Atlanta, and 
Lieut. Smith took command of the company on the night 
of the 1st, though not commissioned till the 7th. 


CHAPTER X. 


Hood’s raids on sherman’s railroad communications 

-FINDING LOST MOUNTAIN-HOLD THE FORT-TEAR¬ 
ING UP RAILROADS-IN ALABAMA—A DISMAL NIGHT— 

REVIEW OF THE ARMY-FORAGING IN TENNESSEE- 

CATCHING MUD LARKS. 

The First Alabama remained in camp at Lovejoy’s till 
Sunday, September 18th, a camp-ground was cleared up 
in the woods, and drilling was resumed. During the 
Atlanta campaign the cooking was v done at the wagon- 
yards ; now, cooking utensils were issued, and the men 
were enabled to have comparatively decent fare. W. L. 
Ellis was detailed to go to Montgomery after the com¬ 
pany’s knapsacks, and also to procure clothing from home 
for the men. On the afternoon of the day he left orders 
were received to cook up two days’ rations, and at noon 
on the 18th the command broke camp and marched to 
Fayetteville, a distance of ten miles. At 2 o’clock Mon¬ 
day morning the reveille sounded, but it was 5.30, A. m., 
before the march was resumed. At dark the regiment 
bivouacked three miles beyond Palmetto, having marched 
eighteen miles. 

On Tuesday, after a march of five miles, the command 
was deployed and orders given to entrench. The posi¬ 
tion was four or five miles from the Chattahoochie and 
about twenty-five miles from Atlanta. While camped 
near Palmetto, on Monday morning, September 26th, 
President Davis informally reviewed the army, being 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


log 


greeted along portions of the line by cries of “ Give us 
Johnston ! ” 

Thursday, September 29th, the command again re¬ 
ceived orders to march. Private W. L. Ellis arrived that 
morning with the company baggage and boxes from 
home, and a hasty distribution had to be made of the 
contents of the latter. Clean clothing from the knap¬ 
sacks was donned, the baggage repacked and sent into 
Palmetto to a private house for storage; it was never 
seen again* 

At noon the command started, crossing the Chatta- 
hoochie that evening on a pontoon bridge at the Pump- 
kintown, or Phillips, Ferry, and going into camp after a 
march of eight miles. It was showery on the 30th, but 
a march of ten miles was made on the Powder Springs 
Road. October set in stormy, the rain falling all day 
and night, the command remaining in camp. A march 
of twelve miles on Sunday, the 2d, brought the regiment 
to familiar scenes, and it bivouacked three miles from 
Lost Mountain. The troops recognized their old battle¬ 
grounds, and there was no little enthusiasm aroused. 
After a march of ten miles on the 3d, the command 
struck the railroad at Big Shanty Station, which was 
captured, with a few prisoners, after a slight skirmish. 

Our division (Walthall’s) was deployed along the track, 
which was torn up, ties piled and burned, and the rails— 
heated red hot—bent. This work continued till 3 o’clock 
on the morning of the 4th. After a few hours’ rest, the 
division moved up the road, tearing up the track and 
burning the ties. At noon, tired and hungry—being 
without rations—the regiment took the road towards 
Lost Mountain, and went on picket five miles from Big 







no 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


Shanty Station. A march of seven miles was made on 
the 5th, and just at dark the brigade began the ascent of 
Lost Mountain, the regiment going on picket near the 
top. The mountain side was thickly carpeted with 
prickly pear, and falls and ejaculations more forcible 
than pious were frequent. On the 6th the command 
marched twelve miles, passing the site of New Hope 
Church. 

Near New Hope, French’s shattered division, repulsed 
the previous day at Allatoona Bridge, was met. Gen. 
French’s assault on the fort at Allatoona was of the 
most desperate character, and resulted in placing half 
his command hoi's da combat. Gen. Sherman, marching 
to the relief of the beleagured garrison, signaled from 
the top of Kennesaw Mountain to its commander that 
despatch made memorable by Bliss’s hymn:— 

“ Hold the fort, I am coming. 

W. T. Sherman.” 

The arrival of the Federal troops forced the Confeder¬ 
ates to retire just as they were about to reap the fruit of 
their tremendous sacrifices. 

Thus far it had rained every day since the army left 
Palmetto, but the 7th was pleasant, the roads were good, 
and a march of fifteen miles was made towards Van Wirt. 
Another march of fifteen miles on the 8th brought the 
regiment to Cedartown. This ended Hood’s first raid on 
the railroad; ten or twelve miles of track had been torn 
up, and about 400 prisoners taken. The First Alabama 
did not load their guns. Co. K lost one man—Sergt. 
George Hearn—who was barefoot, and on the night that 
the regiment ascended Lost Mountain was left behind, 
captured, and sent to Rock Island, Ill. 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


in 


At noon on the 9th orders were received to march ; the 
left wing of the First Alabama, including Co. K, was the 
brigade rear guard, and did not get into camp until 10.30, 
p. m., after a march of twelve miles. On the 10th the 
Coosa River was crossed at Coosaville, on a pontoon 
bridge, the day’s progress being ten or twelve miles. 
Eighteen miles were scored on the 1 ith, on the Dirt-town 
road, and on the 12th over twenty miles, the regiment 
camping at 9, p. m., three miles from Resaca. Soon after 
bivouacking it began to rain. An attack on Resaca having 
failed, that post was flanked, and the railroad struck at 
Tilton at noon on the 13th, which post surrendered to 
Gen. French. The track was torn up all the way to 
Dalton, the ties burned, and rails bent. Dalton surren¬ 
dered to Gen. Cheatham with about 1,000 prisoners with¬ 
out a fight. The First Alabama did good service tearing 
up track, and camped that night two miles south of Dalton. 
On the 14th Rocky Face Mountain was crossed at Dug 
Gap, and after marching twelve miles the regiment went 
into camp. The route on the 15th lay through the 
Chattooga Valley for eighteen miles. Passing through 
Treadwell Gap and across Chattooga River, the regiment, 
after a march of ten miles, bivouacked on the evening of 
the 16th, two miles beyond Summerville, Ga. 

The second raid resulted in the capture of about 1,500 
or 2,000 prisoners and the destruction of twenty miles of 
railroad track. Co. K had no more stragglers, but the 
men were weary and footsore, having, since leaving 
Palmetto, marched some two hundred miles in seventeen 
days. 

On the 17th, at 2 , a. m., the command again broke camp, 
and marching ten miles halted for the day at sunrise. 


112 


HISTORY OF CO. K, . 


The army crossed the state line of Alabama on the 18th, 
passed through Gaylesville, and camped three miles be¬ 
yond, having marched fifteen miles. Fifteen miles were 
scored again on the 19th, the route taking us past the 
Round Mountain Iron Works, in Cherokee County. 
Reveille sounded at an early hour on the 20th, and by 3, 
a. m., the regiment was on the road; twenty miles were 
made by 2, p. m., when we camped five miles beyond 
Gadsden. A welcome rest of forty-four hours was here 
allowed the soldiers, and on the 21st some clothing was 
issued to those most in need. Another treat was the 
distribution of a large army mail, the accumulation of 
two weeks or more. The order to march was given at 
3, A. m., on the 22 d, but it was countermanded before we 
had gone three hundred yards, and it was 10, A. m., before 
the final start was made; fifteen miles were, however, 
accomplished before camping, the route being over Look¬ 
out Mountain. The army crossed the Black Warrior 
River on the 23d, and, passing through Brooksville, added 
seventeen miles to the march record. Though the road 
was very rocky, a march of seventeen miles was also 
made on the 24th; the town of Summit was the only 
point of interest. On the 25th the regiment marched 
thirteen miles to Somerville, and on the 26th thirteen 
miles to the lines around Decatur, a total of one hundred 
and thirty-five miles in ten days, including two days’ rest 
at Gadsden. 

A brisk cannonade was in progress when the regiment 
arrived, and it was at once ordered to the picket line. It 
had been raining at intervals all day, and the night closed 
in cold and gloomy. When the picket line was reached 
it was quite dark. At 10, p. m., an order was received to 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


* 13 

advance the line one hundred and fifty yards and dig 
rifle pits. It was impossible to see more than five feet in 
any direction, and as the command was deployed as 
l skirmishers, the movement was executed with consider¬ 
able difficulty, but the new line was at last formed. 
'About the time the rifle pits were completed, the men 
supplementing the few entrenching tools with tin-cups 
and pans, the rain came pouring down, filling the pits 
and converting the whole ground into a marsh. The men 
were so exhausted that so soon as the rain had ceased 
and they had bailed out the pits all but those on guard 
lay down in the mud and fell asleep. 

At daylight skirmishers were ordered forward, but 
finding the enemy in force they fell back to the picket 
line with a loss of one man mortally wounded in Co. E. 
Soon after daylight the regiment was relieved and rejoined 
the brigade. It rained at intervals all day, and to add to 
the discomfort of the soldiers no rations were issued 
except a little beef; there was no bread for two or three 
days. At this time began the private foraging, which 
later proved so disastrous to the discipline of the army. 

On the morning of October 29, the regiment left De¬ 
catur and marched sixteen miles westward, along the 
Memphis and Charleston Railroad, camping three miles 
east of Courtland. The line of march on the 30th was 
through a level, fertile country, but desolated by Federal 
raids, nearly every plantation building having been 
burned. We camped that night at Leedam, having 
marched fifteen miles and passed during the day through 
Courtland and Jonesboro. On the 31st a march of ten 
miles brought the regiment to Tuscumbia. The march 
record from September 29th now footed up three hundred 
and eighty-five miles. 

8 




HISTORY OF CO. K, 


ii 4 

For several days after arriving at Tuscumbia it was 
rainy; it then cleared off cold. On Sunday, November 
6th, there was a general review and inspection, and on 
the 12th Gen. Beauregard reviewed the army, which, at 
that time, was said to number about 30,500 men. In 
Stewart’s Corps there were 9,000 men. Corp. Rice and 
Privates A. D. Ellis and J. W. May rejoined the company 
on November 2d, and Junius Robinson on the 4th, 
making a total of 20 muskets. Our number was re¬ 
duced by several sick sent to the rear before we crossed 
the Tennessee. 

Monday, November 14th, the regiment marched to 
Florence and went into camp, and on the 18th received 
several months’ pay, the first since leaving Meridian. At 
this muster there were present Lieut. Smith, O. Sergt. J. 
L. Alexander, Sergts. C. H. Royals and E. L. Averheart, 
Corps. J. D. Rice and Josiah Tunnell, and Privates T. M. 
Boggan, C. W. Brown, W. W. Day, A. D. Ellis, W. L. 
Ellis, E. Hearn, J. C. Hearn, J. Killough, J. W. May, G. 
F. Martin, Wm. Moncrief and John Tunnell. Private 
Martin, during the entire campaign, was detailed at the 
wagon camp as cook. 

One great want of the army when it started on this 
campaign in the depth of winter was that of shoes. At 
the outset there were not a few who had but apologies 
for shoes, and when Hood reached the Tennessee River 
on his retreat, no less than 3,000 barefooted men strag¬ 
gled in the rear, literally leaving a trail of blood along 
the frozen pikes. I The lack of rations was another serious 
misfortune; for a month prior to entering upon the cam¬ 
paign the troops had been on short rations of a miserable 
quality. Three-quarters of a pound of very coarse 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


”5 

cornmeal and one pound of fresh beef, bone and all—and 
generally the bone predominated—nominally constituted 
a day’s rations. These rations were issued at the wagon- 
yards or camps, where details from the companies cooked 
them. The beef was boiled and the meal, wet up with 
cold water and made into “ pones,” was browned—not 
cooked—in “ Dutch ovens.” Thus prepared, the food 
was distributed—company commissioned officers and men 
sharing alike—the bread, three days’ rations at a time, 
the beef every day. By the time it reached the company 
the ration had so “ shrunk in the pot ” that the writer 
has seen a lean and lank Confederate dispose of his three 
days’ rations of bread and one of beef at one sitting. 
All the army had chronic diarrhoea, and all were hungry. 
As a consequence of this latter fact, when the rich fields 
of Tennessee—the “ land of hog and hominy ”—were 
reached, no discipline could restrain the men, and thou¬ 
sands at a time were scattered through the country 
searching for something to satisfy their hunger. Com¬ 
pany officers, themselves half-starved, sympathized with 
their men, and would not have punished them for foraging 
had it been possible; but what punishment could be in¬ 
flicted upon men who were marching from early morn 
till night? “Mud Lark,” as skinned hog meat was 
called by the soldiers—who even in their suffering still 
indulged in jokes—was brought in every night; six hun¬ 
dred pounds was captured one night by the foragers of 
the “ First.” The Regimental Commissary, who was on 
the lookout, seized it and compelled a pro rata distribu¬ 
tion; but no other notice was taken of the offence. 
Parched corn augmented the scanty ration of bread, 
and, after marching all day, half the night would be 



ii6 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


spent by the hungry men in cooking up what had been 
gathered along the road or after camping. 

In spite of the many hardships which our company 
had endured, the men, when they crossed the Tennessee, 
marching northward, were cheerful and willing for any 
duty or danger, and this was the spirit in the regiment 
and army. 

A commander never uttered a more unfounded libel 
against his soldiers than Gen. Hood when he published 
that his troops were demoralized and could not be trusted 
in battle. J Even when his half-starved legions left one- 
fourth their number on the battle-field of Franklin, after 
fighting for hours against a superior force, strongly en¬ 
trenched, and at one time penetrating the enemy’s line, 
he was not satisfied, but is reported to have said, in private 
conversation, that if his old Texas brigade had been with 
him he would have won the battle. In his book, how¬ 
ever, he gave the troops who fought at Franklin a scanty 
meed of praise. 





CHAPTER XI. 


Gen. hood’s disastrous campaign in Tennessee—the 

FATAL MISTAKE-BEFORE FRANKLIN-SCHOFIELD’S 

STRONGHOLD-EATING HIS LAST RATIONS-THE BATTLE 

OF FRANKLIN-THE REBEL YELL-TERRIFIC MUSKETRY 

-LOCKED BAYONETS-ONE-THIRD HOOD’S ARMY LOST 

-CO. K WIPED OUT-LOSSES OF THE “FIRST”-FAITH¬ 
FUL UNTIL DEATH-THE RETREAT FROM TENNESSEE- 

THE LAST ROLL CALL. 

It was raining slowly as, on Sunday, November 20, 
the First Alabama formed and marched down to the 
Tennessee river, crossed the long pontoon bridge, and 
went into camp four miles beyond. Monday, there was 
a light fall of snow, and the command advanced but 
seven miles. At night it turned off very cold, and 
Tuesday morning the roads were frozen hard. During 
the day the army crossed the State line of Tennessee, 
marked by a rough board sign placed by the roadside, 
every regiment cheering heartily, Tennessee troops being 
especially enthusiastic. The day’s march was thirteen 
miles. Wednesday saw us twelve miles on our journey. 
The day was cold and wintry, and the soldiers, thinly 
clad and generally without overcoats, suffered keenly. 
It was slightly warmer on Thursday. As on Wednes¬ 
day, the route lay through a hostile, mountainous country, 
and the slow progress made by the artillery and wagon 
trains, as well as the necessity of keeping the men well 
closed up, delayed the army, and only twelve miles were 




n8 HISTOR V OR CO. K, 

made. The mountaineers were mostly Union men, and 
showed no mercy to stragglers, either killing, them out¬ 
right or horribly maltreating them. On Friday the roads 
were better; the mountains were behind us; and as the 
troops passed through Henryville they were met with 
friendly greetings. The First Alabama went into camp 
two miles beyond Henryville, having marched fifteen 
miles, the best score since crossing the river. Saturday, 
the people were still more cordial, and the troops were 
cheered at Mount Pleasant. Sixteen miles had been 
tramped when the First went into camp eight miles from 
Columbia. On Sunday, the 27th, Stewart’s corps arrived 
at Columbia, invested by Lee’s corps the preceding day. 
At dusk the First Alabama were sent to the skirmish 
line. During the night the enemy evacuated the town, 
taking position on the other side of Duck River. The 
regiment remained in camp Monday. Gen. Forest 
crossed four miles above Columbia on that day ; and, a 
pontoon bridge having been put down, Cheatham’s and 
Stewart’s corps and Johnson’s division of Lee’s corps 
followed on the 29th. Schofield at once withdrew, and 
now began a spirited race for Franklin on parallel roads, 
the Federals having the advantage of holding the regular 
pike, while the Confederates marched over rough by-roads 
and through the fields. There was brisk skirmishing 
throughout the day between the flankers ; but Cheatham, 
who had forged far enough ahead to have thrown his 
corps across the pike, failed to execute Hood’s positive 
orders to do so. Hood then ordered Stewart’s corps to 
the front to make the attack, but by the time they got up 
it was dark, and the men could not be got into proper 
position to ensure success. The two corps bivouacked 





FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


up 


at Spring Hill, and Schofield’s army, unmolested, filed by 
so near that their wagons could be heard on the stony 
pike. This blunder lost Hood the Tennessee campaign. 
Gen. Hood states that Gen. Cheatham afterwards mag¬ 
nanimously acknowledged his error. Even Hood did 
not place any blame upon the army for this failure to 
attack. The soldiers were greatly fatigued after the 
twenty miles’ march of the day; but would have gal¬ 
lantly responded to the order to attack, and themselves 
wondered why it was not given. 

On the morning of November 30th the race was re¬ 
newed, but Schofield had the advantage of being ahead 
of his foes. He was so hardly pushed, however, that he 
was obliged to sacrifice a considerable portion of his 
wagon train, overturning and burning the wagons or 
cutting down the wheels, and shooting the animals when¬ 
ever they blocked the retreat of the infantry. In some 
cases whole teams could be seen lying dead in the traces. 
At another point a quartermaster’s wagon had been over¬ 
turned, and for rods around the road and fields were 
strewn with blankets. About noon, when four miles south 
of Franklin, the Federal cavalry deployed along a wooded 
crest running at right angles to the Columbia pike, and 
covered the wearied infantry while filing into the en¬ 
trenchments at Franklin. 

These entrenchments had been carefully constructed, 
and had already received their baptism of blood the year 
prior (April 10, 1863), when Gen. Van Dorn attacked 
Gen. Granger and was repulsed. The inner line was a 
regularly constructed earthwork, with a ditch on the 
outside about three feet deep and five feet wide. From 
the bottom of the ditch to the top of the parapet was at 



120 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


least six or seven feet. Heavy timbers or head logs 
crowned the top of the parapet, space being left between 
the logs and earth to allow the soldiers to fire. An 
abattis of black locust protected the front. Two hun¬ 
dred and fifty or three hundred yards in front of this—an 
open field with gentle slope intervening—was another 
connected line of earthworks, made by digging a ditch 
about eighteen inches or two feet in depth, and throwing 
the earth to the front. Outside of this, again, were de¬ 
tached rifle pits. This was the nature of the works on 
each side the Columbia pike, where the heaviest fighting 
took place. The works extended around Franklin in a 
semi-circle, touching Big Harpeth River above and below 
the town, a length of a mile and a half. 

As Stewart’s corps, which was in the advance, came 
up, the Federal cavalry also withdrew into Franklin. 
The Confederate forces rapidly deployed, Stewart’s corps 
forming the right and Cheatham’s the left, Johnston’s 
division of Lee’s corps being still in the rear. Stewart’s 
corps was formed in line of battle between the Nashville 
and Decatur Railroad and the Lewisburg pike, about one 
and a quarter miles from Franklin and three-quarters of 
a mile from the Union lines. The corps was so fronted 
that an advance would take it across the railroad, striking 
the enemy’s main line near the Columbia pike. Walthall’s 
division was in the centre, with Quarles’ brigade on the 
right. In front of Walthall was a deep cut in the rail¬ 
road, which was not discovered till the advance had 
begun, and which necessitated his moving by the left flank, 
as subsequently stated, to avoid the obstacle. Much 
straggling had been caused by the forced marches of the 
two preceding’days, and probably not over 15,000 or 


E/RST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


121 


16,000 men of Stewart’s and Cheatham’s corps were 
engaged in the battle, and Johnston’s division, say 2,000 
or 3,000 men, did not take part till the main attack had 
failed, about 7, p. m. The artillery, with the exception of 
a section of two Napoleon guns, did not participate in 
the battle. Forrest’s cavalry was held in reserve on the 
flanks, Gen. Forrest himself being with the infantry 
during the charge. 

Gen. Schofield’s force was composed of the Fourth 
Corps, which was officially reported ten days after the 
battle to have numbered 14,172 men, the Twenty-third 
Corps, 10,207 men, and the Forty-fourth Missouri and 
Seventy-second Illinois unassigned. A Federal officer 
present stated that they had more men than could stand 
at the works, the lines being in some places six deep, 
those in rear loading for those in front. 

The spirit of the Confederate troops, while not enthu¬ 
siastic, was good. While waiting the completion of the 
formation, the men of the regiments first in line were 
quietly discussing the probable issue of the impending 
battle; some with an eye to the future were picking white 
beans from the dead vines in a field in our front; others, 
no less industrious, were eating every crumb in their 
haversacks. Among the latter was poor Brown of Co. K, 
who, on being remonstrated with for his imprudence, 
replied that he would be killed; his forebodings proved 
too correct; one hour later he was dead. 

About half-past three the command “Attention!” ran 
quietly along Stewart’s lines; a detail was ordered to the 
front to throw down a rail fence, and then came the 
orders “Forward ! ” “ Double quick! ” For two hundred 
yards the advance was through a corn-field, the dead stalks 


122 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


of which, of giant dimensions, were crossed and interlaced 
in every direction. When the farther side of the field 
was reached the command was halted, moved by the flank 
to the left, and the alignment corrected. The enemy’s 
works were now in full view, and not over a half mile 
distant. Immediately in the front of the First Alabama 
there was a valley with a small stream of water at the 
bottom, the descent and ascent on the other side being 
quite sharp. An open grove of sugar maples, entirely 
free of underbrush, extended to the Federal rifle pits. 
Away to the right the rattle of musketry showed that the 
battle had begun, and the order, “ Skirmishers to the 
front! ” almost immediately followed. The latter moved 
rapidly forward, availing themselves of the cover of the 
large maples and firing slowly as they advanced. As yet 
not a bullet had whistled by us, and it was hard to realize 
that it was more than a skirmish drill, with such precision 
did the men move. 

By the time the skirmishers were fifty yards away there 
came the orders, “ Forward ! Double quick ! ” Down the 
hill, across the brook, up the slope, over the railroad; then 
came the first deadly Yankee greeting—a shrapnel bursting 
in the ranks of Co. E, killing and wounding nine men. 
In three minutes more the space was covered, the Confed¬ 
erates were past the rifle pits and in the outer line of the 
enemy’s works. Most of the Federals occupying them 
surrendered and were sent to the rear; many of those 
who tried to run back to the main line were shot down. 

For an instant the line was halted and the men lay 
down in the captured works. Not a stump nor a stone 
obstructed the open field, on the farther side of which, 
behind their entrenchments, lay the main body of the 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


123 

enemy. To the right the roll of musketry was uninter¬ 
mitted, but immediately in our front, except from the 
Federal artillery, there was a momentary lull. It was but 
for a moment, then the order ‘‘Forward!” was repeated 
down the line. The men sprang to their feet, for the first 
time in the battle gave the “rebel yell,” and dashed for¬ 
ward, corps, division, and brigade officers leading in the 
assault. At the same instant a sheet of smoke shot out 
from the earthworks in front, thickening, as volley after 
volley poured forth, into a great white bank, but broken 
every moment by tongues of flame from the cannon. 
Looming up above the smoke in shadowy form, like some 
old tower, just inside the enemy’s works, were the huge 
timbers of a cotton-press; this was the only landmark; 
all else was hidden. But few shots were fired by the 
Confederates as they dashed forward, for, though there 
were no orders, each man instinctively felt that this was 
to be a struggle man to man. Two Napoleon guns, run 
forward by hand on the Columbia pike, kept well up with 
the line of battle and were fired steadily. No other 
artillery on the Confederate side fired a shot. The roar 
of the Federal musketry was something never to be for¬ 
gotten ; not even the Napoleons, nor the siege guns, firing 
from the fort on the other side of the river, could be heard 
distinct from that terrific volume of sound; yet the Con¬ 
federates moved forward towards this death-dealing bank 
of smoke with all the precision of battalion drill. At the 
distance of forty yards from the works the Confederate 
line was unbroken and had suffered comparatively little 
loss. The effect of this solid, steady charge was such 
that Federal officers afterwards acknowledged that they 
could with difficulty keep their men from going to the 



124 


HISTORY OF CO. K, 


rear. When within forty yards the enemy’s fire began to 
tell, and the Confederates fell rapidly. The enemy fired 
remarkably low, due, it is said, to their simply laying 
their muskets on the slope of the parapet and pulling the 
trigger without exposing themselves to take aim. At 
last the ditch was reached; some of the assailants dashed 
through the embrasures of the battery; others tried to 
clamber over the parapet, and others exchanged shots 
with the Federals under the head logs. Men were brained 
with butts of muskets or bayonetted on the parapet, while 
the flanking fire of the angles soon filled the ditch with 
the dead and dying; a few got inside of the works un¬ 
scathed and were taken prisoners. Just to the left of the 
pike the Confederates broke the Federal line, and for a 
short time held one of their batteries, but the Federal 
reserve charged, and after a desperate struggle regained 
possession. This was the situation at dark: the opposing 
forces confronting one another, with but a bank of earth 
between, like two stags of the forest head to head and 
and antlers locked. Johnston’s division coming up at 7, 
p. m., made a gallant effort to turn the evenly-balanced 
scale, but only added to Hood’s already appalling losses- 
About 9, p. m., the firing slackened and the roar of mus¬ 
ketry gradually died away, but was renewed at intervals 
as one or the other side perceived or suspected some 
movement of its foe. 

So soon as the Federals were satisfied that the assault 
was over, they commenced quietly to withdraw, and by 
3 o’clock the next morning they were safely across the 
river. 

Daylight revealed to the Confederates their fearful loss; 
in front of some portions of the works the ground was 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


125 


covered with the dead. Report at the time placed the 
Confederate loss at 1,500 killed and 3,000 wounded, 
Hood, in his despatches from the battle-field, gave his 
loss at 4,500 killed, wounded and prisoners, the last being 
estimated at 1,000. Swinton, the historian, gives the 
Confederate loss as 1,739 killed, 3,850 wounded and 702- 
prisoners; total, 6,201. This would, in a measure, agree 
with Hood’s own statement in “ Advance and Retreat,” 
where he places his total losses from all causes, from 
November 6th to December 10th, 7,547; this includes 
the losses at Columbia and in Forrest’s skirmishes. It 
will thus be seen that nearly one-third of those engaged 
were killed and wounded, and that one-tenth were killed. 
Probably there never was a battle fought on the Ameri¬ 
can continent, between civilized armies, where the slaugh¬ 
ter was so great as in Hood’s army. The Federals re¬ 
ported their loss at 189 killed, 1,033 wounded and 1,104 
prisoners; total, 2,326. Their report of killed is, in the 
writer’s opinion, understated, though the total may be 
correct. It was reported at the time that 300 Federal 
dead lay in the rear of the centre, where the heaviest 
fighting took place. 

The casualties among the Confederate general officers 
were unparalled, and their reckless exposure of their 
lives was the general subject of comment in the army, 
Nearly all went into the charge mounted, and Gens. Cle¬ 
burne and Adams were killed while trying to spur their 
horses over the breastworks. Maj.-Gen. P. R. Cleburne 
and Brig.-Gens. Gist, John Adams, Strahl and Granberry 
were killed; Maj.-Gen. Brown and Brig.-Gens. Carter, 
Marrigault, Quarles, Cockrell and Scott wounded, and 
Brig.-Gen. Gordon was captured. Of Gen. Quarles' 





126 


HISTOR Y OF CO. K, 


staff all were killed and wounded but the General’s son, 
a lad of fourteen, who seized the brigade flag when the 
color-bearer fell, and bore it inside the enemy’s works. 
Dismounted in the melee, he tore the flag from the staff, 
concealed it under his coat and got safely out with it. 

Of Co. K, eleven men went into the charge; of these, 
two were killed, four wounded and two taken prisoners. 
Private C. W. Brown was shot through the heart, Private 
J. W. May was killed on breastworks by the butt of a 
musket, Lieut. Smith received a ball in the face, breaking 
the lower jaw, when near the main line of the enemy; 
Sergt. C. H. Royals was shot in the knee in the ditch 
and captured, but left behind when the enemy retreated; 
Serg. Averheart was wounded in the abdomen by a pistol 
bullet; Corp. Tunnell was shot through one thigh and 
across the other; Private W. L. Ellis was captured in 
the ditch, and Private J. C. Hearn sprang through the 
embrasure of the battery and was captured inside the 
enemy’s lines. He relates that he placed his hand on the 
12-pounder as he went in, and that it was so hot that it 
burned him. Corp. Rice and Privates A. D. Ellis and 
John Killough escaped unhurt. Of the members of Co. 
K not in the charge three were detailed, three were in 
the rear, footsore, barefoot or sick, and one—E. Hearn— 
had accidentally shot himself through the hand. A sin¬ 
gular fatality followed the members of the Brown family 
in Co. K. There were three brothers—A. Pinkney, El- 
nathan and C. Wesley Brown—and a brother-in-law, J. 
A. Fergerson. The first two died of disease, and the 
last two were killed in battle. All were good men and 
brave, reliable soldiers. A fourth brother—Richard— 
who belonged to another command, lost an arm in battle. 



FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT, 


127 


The loss in the regiment was about 150 out of 300 en¬ 
gaged. The color-guard were all killed or wounded. 
Lieut. Crymes, of Co. I, went over the entrenchments, 
and, refusing to surrender, was shot dead while waving 
his sword and calling to his men to follow. Maj. Knox 
was mortally wounded, Capt. Williams was taken pris¬ 
oner, and the command of the remnant of the regiment 
devolved upon Lieut. McRae. 

Corp. Rice collected together, on the morning after the 
battle, six men of Co. K, viz. : Privates T. M. Boggan, 
Day, A. D. Ellis, Killough, Martin and John Tunnell, 
and proceeded with the regiment to Nashville, where, 
some days later, O. Sergt. Alexander and private Mon- 
crief rejoined the command. 

Companies C and K were now united, and Orderly- 
Sergt. Alexander, of Co. K, was placed in command ; 
Sergt. Blaylock, of Co. C, being second. The weather 
was extremely cold, and as nearly all the remnant of Co. 
K were barefoot and thinly clad, they suffered severely. 

On December 15th, the first day of the battle of Nash¬ 
ville, Stewart’s corps occupied the left of Hood’s army. 
The First Alabama was stationed on the left flank of the 
corps, at right angles to the main line, behind a stone 
wall on the Hillsboro’ pike. In response to a call for 
sharpshooters, Sergt. Alexander detailed T. M. Boggan, 
Killough and Moncrief to go to an outlying redoubt on 
the extreme left. The ground was covered with snow 
and ice. Late in the evening the enemy advanced in 
two heavy lines on the left, and, overlapping the Con¬ 
federates, captured the redoubt, and appeared in the rear 
of the stonewall. The First had up to this time success¬ 
fully held their ground against the attack in front, but 



128 


HISTOR Y OF CO. K, 


now had to fall back, a considerable number being cap¬ 
tured. Of Co. K, Moncrief was captured in the redoubt, 
and Sergt. Alexander, Corp. Rice and Private A. D. 
Ellis at the stonewall. T. M. Boggan, in attempting to 
leave the redoubt, was seriously wounded in the thigh 
and captured; he recovered from his wounds, and re¬ 
mained at Camp Chase till the war closed. Day, 
Killough, Martin and John Tunnell succeeded in escap¬ 
ing. The “ First ” was hotly engaged again on the 16th, 
and in the two days lost some 75 killed, wounded and 
prisoners. 

The retreat from Tennessee abounds with incidents, 
but they belong either to the history of the army or to 
personal experience. Gen. Walthall commanded the 
rear-guard, of which Gen. Obdycke, the Northern officer 
who restored Schofield’s broken lines at Franklin, says : 
—“ The rearguard remained firm, and did its work 
bravely to the last. * * * Walthall and Forrest 

selected one position after another with such unerring 
judgment that even Wilson and Wood were unable to 
gain any important advantage during a period of twelve 
days, and over a distance of 100 miles.” As in the ad¬ 
vance, so in the retreat, the ragged remnant of the First 
Alabama was always ready for duty—“ faithful even unto 
death.” 

The following letter from Gen. E. C. Walthall to the 
writer testifies to their services :— 

“ Grenada, Miss., April 20, 1885. 

“ My Dear Sir :—Your letter written to me at Wash¬ 
ington was mislaid but not forgotten. Gen. Quarles’ 
brigade was with us on the retreat from Nashville, and 


FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT. 


129 

the First Alabama Regiment was along. The rear-guard 
was composed of eight brigades, but they were all so 
small that I temporarily consolidated them in four. 
Quarles’ and Featherston’s were put in one, commanded 
by Gen. Featherston. The troops all behaved splendidly, 
and their services were all of great value. 

“ Your friend truly, 

“ E. C. Walthall.” 

Wounded men got out as best they could, many 
hobbling along the frozen pikes on crutches. Among 
these were all the members of Co. K wounded at Frank¬ 
lin. Shoal Creek, a stream swollen at that time to 
formidable proportions, seemed at one time to have cut 
off the retreat of the cripples, but kind-hearted cavalry¬ 
men carried those across who could not wade. It was 
nearly 100 yards wide, with a rocky bottom full of holes. 
In one instance, seen by the writer, a mule slipping threw 
a cripple into water nearly to his armpits ; but the soldier 
held on to his crutches, and without assistance finally 
hobbled ashore. A cavalryman who had already carried 
several over returned, against the remonstrances of his 
companions, and took the writer across. The next 
morning, Saturday, December 24, the crowd of wounded 
men were ferried across the Tennessee in pontoon boats 
at a point near Florence, Ala., and were safe. 

The First Alabama arrived at Verona, Miss., on Janu- 
uary 16, 1865; thence they were ordered to report to 
Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, in North Carolina. Six of 
Co. K were with the regiment: Corp. Josiah Tunnell, 
Privates Griffin, Killough, Martin, Robinson and John 
Tunnell. The regiment, numbering about 100 men, 


9 






i 3 o 


HISTORY OF CO . K, 


participated in the last two battles of the war, Averysboro 
and Bentonville. On the last day of the second battle, 
at sundown, Lieut. William Williamson, Co. C, a gallant 
Christian gentlemen, was mortally wounded. The First 
Alabama was present, and ended its untarnished career 
at the surrender of Gen. Johnston’s army at Greensboro’, 
N. C., on the 27th of April, 1865. Those of Co. K 
present at the surrender arrived at Prattville about the 
middle or last of May, but it was about the 1st of July 
before all the scattered band got to their homes. 

John Killough, John and Josiah Tunnell won the hon¬ 
orable distinction of being present when the company 
was mustered in and when it was disbanded. If the 
writer remembers correctly, the first two mentioned were 
never absent during the three years of service except 
when the main body of the regiment were prisoners of 
war or paroled. The last named of the three was also 
present except for two brief intervals, during one of 
which he was at the hospital, wounded. 

Death, wounds, disease and imprisonment—the sad 
fortunes of war—kept others from sharing this honor. 





CHAPTER XII. 


Prison life during the last year of the war— 

SEARCHING THE PRISONERS—STARVATION RATIONS— 

TRUE TO THE SOUTH-HOME AGAIN. 

The following extract from a letter written by W. L. 
Ellis, Esq., conveys a vivid picture of the treatment of 
prisoners by the Federals during the last year of the war. 
Mr. Ellis was taken prisoner at Franklin. 

I surrendered to the Colonel of the Eighth Tennessee 
(U. S.) Regiment, and for kindness shown me by him I 
shall always feel very grateful. At midnight his com¬ 
mand withdrew from the breastworks and started for 
Nashville, I accompanying him. We reached the hills 
near Nashville at daylight and halted for breakfast, of 
which I partook—and keenly enjoyed—with the Colonel. 
I remained with him till 5, P. m., Thursday, when, with 
60 other prisoners, I was sent into Nashville. When our 
guards halted near the capitol, the prisoners a$ked for 
water, which a kind lady offered to bring, but the officer 
in charge refused permission. She was very indignant ; 
but there was no redress, and we could only thank her 
heartily for her kind intentions. We were then escorted 
to the State prison and locked up for the night. Here a 
bit of bread and meat was handed us by a negro. At 
daylight we were put on a train for Louisville, where we 
arrived late in the evening, and were again locked up in 
prison, the negro guards giving each a small piece of 




I 3 2 


ms TOR Y OF CO. K f 


bread and meat. Saturday morning we crossed the river 
and marched to the depot, where rations of baker’s bread 
and ham were given us. After living on one meal a day, 
this food was very acceptable to the hungry prisoners. 
We then took the cars for Indianapolis, where we re¬ 
mained one hour. The citizens would have treated 14s 
very kindly had it not been for the officer in charge. It 
was here that a gentleman quietly informed us that if we 
had any currency, to conceal it, for we would be searched. 
His advice was, of course, taken by the fortunate few 
who had a dollar. The train arrived at Chicago about 1 
o’clock Sunday morning, and we were ordered into line 
and marched three miles through a heavy snow, and then 
put into some old barracks, to remain without fire till the 
dawn of day. It was intensely cold, and it seemed im¬ 
possible to keep from freezing. At daylight the' prison¬ 
ers were ordered into line, marched to the prison-gates 
of Camp Douglas, halted and ordered to ground and 
unstrap knapsacks. After searching them thoroughly, 
and throwing out such articles as they chose, they or¬ 
dered us to partly undress, that they might search our 
clothing for money. The search ended, we marched into 
the enclosure and were allotted to barracks. Soon after, , 
an orderly came in and notified those without blankets to 
go with him to the Captain’s office, and he would furnish 
them. Only three or four, of whom I was one, went. 
While waiting at the office-door my ears froze—it was 
so cold. I received a blanket and a pair of shoes. 

“ On the second day after our arrival, they appointed 
one of the prisoners ‘ Sergeant of the Barracks,’ his duty 



order. The barracks were 18X48 feet, and to each were 




FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


/33 


allotted 165 men. The prison-yard was said to contain 
25 acres, and there were within the enclosure 59 barracks, 

1 office and 1 sutler’s store. 

“ Our rations consisted of two-thirds of a loaf of baker’s 
bread, weighing ten ounces, and eight ounces of fresh 
beef, except on every tenth day, when we drew pork and 
beans. To divide the beans—they were so few—we had 
to count them, and the ration of pork amounted to almost 
nothing. The men suffered so from hunger that a pris¬ 
oner would break the ice, and wash what we called an 
outfit—consisting of shirt, pants, drawers and socks— 
dry, and fold them ready for use, for five cents, with 
which he would buy a bit of bread. Prisoners from 
East Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri could get money 
from home, and fared sumptuously as compared with 
those of us who lived south of the enemy’s line. They 
were not permitted to receive the money, but were given 
sutler’s tickets, which could be used at the store. 

“ I formed the acquaintance of two gentlemen, Messrs. 
Beel and Black, from Kentucky, who insisted upon my 
messing with them, and I fared much better than others, 
as my friends procured supplies from the sutler. We 
remained together two or three months, when, through 
the influence of friends, they were removed into what we 
called the ‘loyal barracks.’ There were hundreds of 
poor fellows who received nothing but their scanty ra¬ 
tions, which barely kept them alive—in fact, I believe 
some died from starvation. 

“ The system of punishment was barbarous in the ex¬ 
treme. They had a wooden horse, made similar to a 
carpenter’s saw-bench, twenty or twenty-five feet long 
and ten or twelve feet high, which they called a ‘ Morgan 




HISTORY OF CO. K, 


134 

mule.’ On this I have seen prisoners, as many as could 
be crowded on, remain six and eight hours in the cold 
and sleet It appeared to me they would freeze to death. 
Another punishment was to make the offending prisoner 
stand in a bending position with his fingers in the snow 
as long as they saw fit. In each barracks there was one 
guard who appeared to have absolute authority to punish 
at will the prisoners under his charge. The barracks in 
which I bunked was more fortunate than many. Our 
guard was a gentlemanly fellow from Memphis named 
Nelson; he never punished a prisoner during my stay. 

“ Notwithstanding the treatment we received, we could 
not be driven to take the oath, but remained loyal to the 
Confederacy, having the utmost confidence in its triumph. 
The morning we received the news of the surrender of 
Gen. Lee, Gen. Sweet, the commandant of the prison, 
ordered us in line and left it to a vote whether we would 
have the United States flag hoisted in the prison yard ; 
only two voted in favor of it. The guards were very 
angry and told the prisoners they ought to remain there 
always, but the flag was not hoisted. Soon after we re¬ 
ceived the news of the surrender of the other Confederate 
armies, and the work of paroling the prisoners was begun. 
I arrived home on June 18, 1865.” 

This evidence of Mr. Ellis is fully sustained by letters 
from Messrs. John C. Hearn and James D. Rice; the latter 
writes : “We fared very badly; the rations were very slim 
and the treatment was cruel indeed. I have seen many old 
men crying for something to eat.” Mr. T. M. Boggan, 
who was at Camp Chase writes: “I was treated very well 
only our rations were rather short.” 



FIRST ALABAMA REGIMENT 


*35 


In closing this brief sketch of the services of Co. K, 
the author wishes to place on record that this has been a 
labor of love. There was not a comrade for whom he 
had not the kindliest regard; there was scarcely one to 
whom he was not indebted, during the three years, for 
some act showing a reciprocal feeling. For any short¬ 
comings in this history he asks their lenient judgment, 
assuring each and every one that naught has been set 
down, naught omitted in malice. God bless the survivors 
of Co. K ! God rest the souls of those whose ashes are 
scattered from the Lakes to the Gulf! 


THE END. 



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M. Wd.—Mortally Wounded. Td.—Transferred. 

Mg.—Missing—fate unknown. 









































ROLL OF CO. K. 


The following is a summary of the roll of Co. K :— 

Total enlisted and commissioned from March xst to close of war. 108 

Killed and mortally wounded . 15 

Died of disease. . 23 

Missing, fate unknown. .. 10 

Transferred to other service. 7 

Discharged and resigned. 10— 65 

Remaining on Roll at close of war. 43 

Absent, wounded. 11 

Absent, sick ^.. . 16 

Absent, prisoners of war... 9 

Absent on parole. 1— 37 

Present for duty April 27, 1865. . 6 

Number of men wounded once during the war. 24 

Wounded twice. . 3 

Wounded and afterwards killed . 1 

Total wounded. 28 

Residence, from Autauga . 61 

Butler. 6 

Conecuh. 1 

Coosa. 2 

Dallas. 1 

Escambia. 1 

Lowndes. 2 

Mobile. 2 

Montgomery. 6 

Pike. 2 

Randolph. 1 

Tallapoosa. . 1 

Wilcox. ... 3 

Unknown.. . 19— io 8 





































I N DEX. 


INTRODUCTORY. . 3 

CHAPTER I .— Organization of the John Gill Shorter Artillery — 
Change of Destination—At Island 10—Roll of Company K- — Mys¬ 
teries of the Cuisine—A Shameful IVaste .. 3 

CHAPTER II. — Bombardment and. Capture of Island No. 10 — The 
Batteries—At Rucker's Battery—Canal Cutting—A Night Attack — 
Running the Gauntlet—An Unfnisned Meal —■ The. Attempted 
Evacuation—Retreat to Tiptonville — Mackall's Order—The Sur¬ 
render—Across Reel-Foot River . io 

CHAPTER III.—Prison Life in 1862—In the Mud—Bivouac at New 
Madrid—A Friendly Irishman — At Camp Butler—Scant Water 
Supply—Escape of Prisoners—An Astonished Sentinel—Playing 
Guard—Lost on the Prairie—A Prisoner Shot—Health of the Camp 
—Mortality Statistics—Curious Phenomena—Death Visits the Com¬ 
pany — Col. Fundy in Command—Practical Jokes—Trinket Making 
—News from Comrades—Homeward Bound—Arrival in Dixie 20 

CHAPTER IV. — Capt. Isbell and his Battalion—Arrival at Port Hud¬ 
son—Battle of Coi'inth—The Reunited Regiment—Port Hudson — 
Land Defences —Red River Supplies . 3 y 

CHAPTER V. —Incidents in the Winter of 1862-3—An Unexpected 
Salute—A Parrott for Co. K— Whitfield's Legion — Farragut's Fleet 
—Running the Batteries — The Midnight Battle—A Crippled Fleet — 
Burning of the “Mississippi"—Comparative Losses—The Land At¬ 
tack — Incidents in Abril, 1863—A Sabbath Morning at Troth's 
Landing—Close Quarters—Skirmishing . 44 











INDEX. 


CHAPTER VI.—Siege and Surrender of Port Hudson — The Investment 
— Skirmishing—The First Grand Assault—Assailed and Assailants 
—Doubly Armed — Lieut. Pratt at Battery u—The “Essex ” driven 
off — Lieut. Adams Elected—Artillery Practice—Assault of June 14th 
—Effect of Buck and Ball — Banks' Inhumanity—Lead for Water — 
A Gallant Corporal — Battery 11 Silenced — Gallant Schurmur's 
Death — The Sunken Battery—Mule and Peas — The Fall of Vicks¬ 
burg— Unconditional Surrender — Gen. Gardner's Sword—Casualties 
of the First .. 

CHAPTER VII.—Experiences of Paroled Prisoners of War—A Dis¬ 
organized Regiment »— A Handsome Turnout — Close Quarters — A 
Faithful Servant — Present, or Accounted for — In Camp at Meri¬ 
dian . 82 

CHAPTER VIII.—Return of Co. Kto Active Duty—Arrival at Mobile 
—A Flooded Camp—Short of Ammunition—At Fort Gaines—Fisher¬ 
men's Spoils — Going to School —»A Spy in Camp — In North Geor¬ 
gia . 8g 

CHAPTER IX.—In North Georgia with Johnston and Hood—Retreat 
to He tines aw—A Gallant Deed — Hood's New Policy—Defending 
Atlanta — The Valley of Death — The Gallant First—Fate of the 
Wounded—Death of Sergt. Fay—Electing a Lieutenant — Evacua¬ 
tion of Atlanta—At Love joy's Station . qy 

CHAPTER X. — Hood's Raids on Sherman's Railroad Communications 
—Finding Lost Mountain—Hold the Fort — Tearing up Railroads — 
In Alabama—A Dismal Night —Review of the Army—Foraging in 
Tennessee -■ Catching Mud Larks . 108 

CHAPTER XI — Gen. HooiVs Disastrous Campaign in Tennessee—The 
Fatal Mistake—Before Franklin — Schofield's Stronghold—Eating 

his Last Rations—The Battle of Franklin—The Rebel Yell Ter¬ 
rific Musketry—Locked Bayonets — One-third Hood's Army Lost — 
Co. K Wiped Out—Losses of the 11 First"—Faithful until Death — 
The Retreat from Tennessee—The Last Roll Call . 777 

CHAPTER XII.— Prison Life during the Last Year of the War — 
Searching the Prisoners—Starvation Rations—True to the South — 
Home Again . 13 7 

• *37 


APPENDIX 






























































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